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Oh my, let’s talk lavender for a second shall we. I mean, there is nothing quite like it. The fragrance just fills the air with this delicate aroma. The flowers stand tall and proud. The deep purple color just pops against the muted green leaves. It is just a heavenly plant that is filled with not only beauty but medicinal properties that you or your garden should not be without.
Table of Contents
- How to Growing Lavender
- Sun Exposure:
- Soil:
- Water:
- Humidity:
- Space Required:
- How to Prune Lavender
- Do I Need To Deadhead My Lavender?
- Which Variety of Lavender is Best?
- Here are a few varieties to keep in mind depending on your purpose:
- Best for Cooking:
- Best for Drying:
- 6 Benefits of lavender
- 4 Ways to use lavender
- Disclaimer:
How to Growing Lavender
Lavender, or lavendula angustifolia, is part of the mint family. It is considered a herbaceous perennial. Lavender is a drought tolerant plant that loves full sun. Lavender is a bush that grows best in zones 5a-9a. It is a hardy plant that makes any space in the garden a beautiful pleasant space to be in. To find your growing zone head on over here. It is best to plant your lavender in the garden when the risk of frost is over. Ideally between April and May.
Sun Exposure:
Lavender is one of those plants that LOVES the sunlight, at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Planting your lavender in a spot that receives full sun is going to make for a healthy bush that will thrive for years to come.
Soil:
Most information out there states that lavender is very particular about the soil that it is in. However, in our experience it does well in “poor soil” meaning not planted in nutrient dense rich organic matter. Whichever soil you do decide to plant it in, be sure that is well draining. Lavender does not like to have soggy roots.
Soil PH can range from 6.0 to 8.0.
Water:
After planting your lavender for the first time in your garden, it is best to keep the soil moist so the roots can establish themselves. However, after the plant is established, lavender is a resilient plant that can go without water for an extended period of time.
Humidity:
Humidity is not lavenders favorite environment to live in. This plant prefers a more dry climate. If left in a humid environment, chances of mold are high.
Space Required:
Lavender can grow 2-3 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide.
How to Prune Lavender
Even though lavender will bring itself back if you decide or forget to prune it, pruning your lavender will make for a much healthier plant. It will promote a fuller bush with lots of blooms.
The best time to prune your lavender is after prime blooming in the late summer to early fall. Typically one pruning a year will suffice but you can get away with light pruning two-three times throughout the growing season. It is also best to prune any plant in the early morning. This will allow the plant to callus over the area that you cut, which will prevent any bacteria or diseases from getting into your plant.
To fully prune your lavender you can work in sections by grabbing handfuls of your plant and cutting 2-3 inches above the hard wood that is at base of your plant. If you cut too far past the hard wood you may prevent your plant from growing back.
To lightly prune throughout the season, routinely cut your blooms off to encourage more growth. Sounds counter productive but trust me! The more blooms you cut throughout the season the stronger your plant becomes and the more blooms it produces.
Do I Need To Deadhead My Lavender?
Deadheading lavender is not as essential as it may be with other flower varieties. Spent blooms can be left on the plant and it will continue to bloom however, it is always best to remove spent blooms off of any plant.
Which Variety of Lavender is Best?
There are SO many different varieties of lavender out there in the gardening world! Too many to discuss here. It is best to search your growing zone to determine which variety is best for you. This step is important because if you grow a variety that does not do well in your area, it is just setting you up to fail.
Here are a few varieties to keep in mind depending on your purpose:
Best for Cooking:
Royal Velvet
Melissa
Best for Drying:
Growing lavender is also a fantastic way to bring bees into your garden. They love the lavender flowers and the more ways you can bring bees into your garden space the better…. am I right, or am I right, y’all. Besides the bee benefits, let’s talk about all the other incredible uses for lavender and why it is a must have for your medicinal cabinet.
6 Benefits of lavender
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, do your due diligence and speak with a medical professional before doing anything
1. Sleep Aid
Lavender is a fantastic sleep aid. It helps rest the mind from the daily chatter. It allows the body to fall into a restful sleep, as well as, fall back to sleep easier when awaken.
2. Reduces anxiety and stress
Lavender helps relax the mind and body during times of high stress and anxiety. Lavender is a grounding herb that allows one to stay centered.
3. Used for minor cuts and burns
Lavender is an antibacterial, antimicrobial and an antiseptic. Rub some lavender Essential oil on minor scraps and burns to help relieve the pain almost immediately.
4. Reduces headaches
Diffusing lavender oil or taking Lavender internally can help decrease headaches.
5. Anti-depressant
Lavender helps increase the serotonin levels in the brain that give us that “happy feeling.” By diffusing lavender or by taking it internally one can lower the feelings of depression. This is a great go to for mamas that are dealing with baby blues or postpartum.
6. Skin care
Lavender is used in a lot of skin care products. It helps rebuild the cells within the skin allowing for a beautiful peaceful glow. We use it specifically in our best selling skin car product…our deodorant!
4 Ways to use lavender
Essential oils
Essential oils are a fantastic way to get all the benefits of lavender. They can be used topically with a carrier oil if needed. Rubs some on the temples, chest, neck and or bottoms of feet. It can be used aromatically through a diffuser, which can calm the entire house down!
Tinctures
Tinctures are to be taken internally by placing a dropperful under the tongue and holding for 30 seconds. This allows all those beautiful properties of this herb that we just talked about to enter into your blood stream faster.
Salves
Lavender salves can be used on the bottoms of feet or on chest to help promote sleep and reduce anxiety.
Tea
Tea is a great way to relax the body after a long day or to be sipped on while sick.
Disclaimer:
Lavender is one of those herbs that can be found everywhere. Please do your research when using essential oils. You want your essential oils to be distilled in the purest form, especially if you are going to take it internally.
Remember the FDA does not regulate essential oils, so what you buy from the store may not be lavender. The bottle can read “therapeutic grade, organic, 100% pure” as long as it contains at least 5% essential oil. The remaining 95% can be chemicals, carrier oil, or synthetic oil. So buy from a reputable company that provides third party testing.
Tinctures are one of our favorite ways to use lavender. There is not a night that we don’t take a dropperful to help us relax before bed. In fact, I took two dropperful today when both the kids were driving me to the point of ripping all my eyelashes out! Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do right?!
And if you want 7 more ways to use lavender check out this article!
Until next time…
I learned so much about lavender! I never knew it is from the mint family.
Thank you for the time you take to organize the information you provide!
Yay! We hope your garden will be filled with lavender after reading about it!