Treasured for its heavenly fragrance and healing powers, lavender is a beautiful bonus to any garden. Few scents are as universally recognized as lavender. This genus consists of about 25 aromatic evergreen perennials and shrubs that are found throughout the Mediterranean regions, the Middle East and India. Lavenders are among the most popular plants for herb gardens, having subtle colouring and a delightful fragrance. The hardier kinds make attractive hedges, while tender varieties may be grown under cover. Lavenders differ in habit, foliage and flower colour, which range from the typical lavender blue to various shades of purple and white. One of the reasons that lavenders are so seductive is that there is always another new one to experiment with. Due to their popularity and long history of cultivation, garden lavenders are mostly hybrids and cultivars. As a result, accurate identification is often difficult.

Lavender has long been believed to have magical powers. North African women of the Kabyle tribe used it as protection from mistreatment by their husbands, while in Tuscany it was thought to shield children from "the evil eye". Named by the Romans-’lavare’ meaning to wash, it has been scenting washing water and bathes ever since. The conquering Romans took lavender to England, where it quickly became popular as a strewing herb to freshen the indoor air and add scent to linens. For centuries, its fragrance has graced sachets, soaps, perfumes and potpourris. It was among the herbs brought to North America by the settlers, who used the flowers as fresheners as well as an antiseptic and healing agent. Religious Shaker communities throughout the United States supported themselves by selling medicines made with the lavender they grew.

Lavender was widely used during the World Wars as an antiseptic and has long been an important part of the fragrance industry, not to mention its frequent appearance in poetry and literature and wide use in potpourris, sachets and crafts.

With the great diversity in size, colour and scent the possibilities for gardening seem endless. Since some are only hardy to Zone 7 or 8, they must be treated as tender perennials in our Canadian climate, but a number of varieties are hardy to zones 4- 5. English lavender (Lavandula officinalis), is considered the true lavender and is generally hardy to zone 5 and has gray-green linear leaves and vivid gray-purple flowers. It is smaller and more compact than some of the other varieties but this plant is considered to have the most medicinal properties. Grosso, a hybrid lavender is much taller with deeper purple flowers on abundant fat spikes, this is the choice for commercial production as it can be harvested with machinery and has a high concentration of essential oil. Lady lavender blooms the first year and is easier to start from seed so it can be grown as an annual in cooler climates. Rosea lavender is great to border pathways, a slower grower with pink flowers and great scent and hardy to zone 5. Generally, lavenders prefer well drained to dry soil in an open location. Most lavenders benefit from a period of dormancy. We recommend not cutting back lavenders in the fall as the extra growth provides additional protection for the plants. Winter mulching is essential in most parts of Canada to ensure survival, use leaves, straw, evergreen branches or mound the soil up around the base of the plant. Spring pruning of lavenders, especially young plants encourages bushy growth, cut them back hard as soon as you see new growth at the bottom. Generally you can get 2 to 3 harvests of flowers per season, the leaves also contain a lot of essential oils so use them as well if desired. Flowers are edible, but use sparingly as they are quite fragrant. Dry lavender either by hanging or laying flat in a warm location out of direct sunlight in an area that has good air circulation. Herbs are dry when the stems are crisp but the leaves and flowers still have good colour. Store dried plant material in glass jars if possible (do not use plastic), in a dark, cool, dry location. Generally dried herbs can be stored for up to one year.

Lavender has a long history of medicinal use. A combined tincture called "Palsy Drops" which contained lavender was officially recognized by the British Pharmacopoeia for over 200 years until the 1940’s. It was used to relieve muscle spasms, nervousness and headaches, this tincture originally contained over 30 ingredients. Studies today have classified lavender as an aromatic, tonic herb with a sweet scent. It relaxes spasms, benefits the digestion, stimulates the peripheral circulation and uterus, lowers fevers, is antiseptic, and has anti-depressant effects. Lavender’s medicinal qualities come from its essential oil which is extracted from the leaves and flowers, this is one of few essential oils that can be used directly on the skin without being diluted and is suitable in skin treatments for all skin types. It has become an indispensable part of many medicine cabinets, due to is wide range of uses from a natural antibiotic and antiseptic to an anti-depressant, sedative and detoxifier. It is very useful in treating burns and scalds, as it promotes healing and prevents scarring. Lavender oil is also very useful for relieving the itch of insect bites, helps to alleviate headaches and insomnia. It is especially soothing when used in bathes or as a massage oil.

Here are some idea to put your bountiful harvest of Lavender to use!

This is a version of a recipe from the Era Formulary published in 1914

1 pound dried lavender flowers

1 ounce dried thyme leaves

½ ounce dried mint leaves

½ ounce cloves

1/8 oz lavender essential oil

To Make: Chop all ingredients and mix together well. Store in a glass jar. Use to fill sachet bags or pot pourris containers

Massage Oil Blend for Headaches

Helps relax tense muscles at the back of the neck, a common cause of headaches.  Good for the shoulders and backs also.

4 Tablespoons of chopped lavender buds

2 Tablespoons of marjoram flowers and leaves-chopped

2 Tablespoons of clary sage flowers and leaves-chopped

1 Cup of Almond Oil

To Make: Place dry herbs in a glass jar and pour almond oil over. Cover tightly and shake well. Place in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Leave for 2 weeks, shake daily. Then strain and bottle, preferably in a dark bottle. Cap tightly, label and date and store in a cool dark place. Use as required.

• Hope you enjoyed trying the crossword puzzle in our last newsletter. I apologize for missing the space for the "e" on the end of thyme. The most common error in the entries we received was the answer for 23 across-the correct response was "Kava Kava". None of the entries received was correct, however, two replies had only one error, so we decided the only fair thing to do was to divide the prize between them. And the winners are......Melissa McKerlie and Gretchen McKerlie-we suspect there was some family collaboration involved-Congratulations to you both.
• The Greenhouses are up and running and we have added some interesting additions this year including-Perilla both the red and green varieties, several new Lavenders-being the herb of the year it deserved some special attention and we now have 7 perennial varieties available, Chocolate mint is this years addition to the mint collection and a whole bunch more..... Our plant list is included with this newsletter to help you plan for spring. We are also trying some other herbs that are not included on this list so make sure to leave room for a few additions. Season opening-May 8, 1999-stay tuned for more info.
• The 1999 Lecture, Workshop and Course Brochure is also enclosed. Again this year we have been very fortunate to obtain interesting and informative presenters and are looking forward to these events. Many of the workshops and the Fall Course tend to fill up early, so we recommend those interested register early.
• Our Web site is in the process of being updated, as this newsletter is being written. It will now include seeds and dried herbs as well as our products, course information, supplies etc.-it should be finished by mid-February complete with on-line ordering.
• Sue spoke in Gander, Newfoundland in early February at the Commercial Production of Medicinal Crops Conference. This 3 day conference, presented by the Ministry of Agriculture for Newfoundland and Labrador, included a number of guest speakers with topics ranging from Wildcrafting Mushrooms to Ginseng Production. Directed at those presently growing or contemplating growing herbs or starting a herb related business, it was an excellent resource and networking experience.
• It has been great to hear from so many of you over the winter, and it is very encouraging to see how many are using herbs for everything from cooking, to medicines, to fabulous gift creations.