As we enter fall in the northern hemisphere, we're starting to feel the increasing presence of winter winds and the onset of many respiratory infections, coughs, and colds. Lavender is well-known for it's calming, sweet scent but many people do not realize it is also a powerful antibacterial agent and one of the natural sources of camphor, a primary active ingredient in many vapor rubs. Lavender has many uses and benefits including as a topical balm for skin burns, bug bites and rashs as well as a facial steam for skin health and respiratory support.
Lavender is often recognized by its bright purple stalks of flowers and seeds, but the whole plant is medicinal and the leaves are often used in medicine pouches or herbal smoke blends.
If the purple, fragrant seeds are what you're looking for, be sure to allow your plant plenty of time to grow - without too much water or fertilizer! Lavender is native to the hot, dry climate of the Mediterranean and prefers rocky soil to moist, nitrogen rich garden beds so too much water and fertilizer will stunt the growth or inhibit flower production. I love to utilize my lavender plant year round so I often harvest it too often to get large amounts of flowers - but I enjoy visiting lavender farms when I need some flowers for a specific recipe!
Lavender makes a great border plant, but be sure not to overwater it. And note that lavender prefers slightly alkaline soils, so if you have clay soil in your area, consider adding peat moss or even baking soda to counter act the acidity in the soil and improve the drainage. For colder climates, lavender grown in a pot is more likely to overwinter if brought indoors (or kept covered in the garage).
Also note that there are more than 450 different types of lavender grown around the world, although English and French lavender tend to be the most common varieties. This is a nice blog post with images of 20 different varieties - including red and white: https://www.gardenmandy.com/types-of-lavender-plants/
If you are considering lavender in your yard,
be sure to check with a local garden
center for which varieties do well in your area and note that it can be finicky to start from seed, so you may be better of purchasing seedlings from a reputable local garden center.
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