The below list is offered as a guideline to the essential oils and absolutes that are commonly distilled/extracted from the listed plant part type. Lavender cultivation. People use lavender in many ways to promote good health and well-being. Make a calming tea made with dried lavender flower heads, chamomile, oat straw & other calming herbs; Make lavender talc: mix together 8 parts each bentonite clay & arrowroot powder, 1 part each slippery elm & comfrey root powder. They can be lavender, or combinations of white-pink, violet-blue, and purple-blue. To make lavender tea, use one teaspoon of dried lavender in a diffuser and let it steep for 10 minutes. Use a quality oil (I like Plant Therapy) and the proper dilution for skin. How to Grow Lavender From a Cutting. Plant in formal or informal herb gardens, where the cool, gray-green foliage sets off other green herbs and plants. Thank you. To harvest English lavender, use sharp bypass pruners and gather a small handful of long flower stems. Grab a bunch, where the stems meet the foliage, and cut a handful. Aromatherapy. The plant has also been used as an herbal treatment for halitosis and mouth ulcers when used as a mouthwash. Our climate is similar to PA. You need only to add two tablespoons of dried lavender buds to a cup or two of red vinegar and to let it boil. You’ll want to either grind the buds (perfect for mixing into sugar), or seep and strain them from a liquid (like in simple syrup or honey). 1 part fresh lavender buds = 1/3 part dried buds. It’s very different from other plants. If you're ready to dive into the lavender lifestyle, there are still a couple of factors to consider. I don’t like to sweeten my lavender tea but if you want to, add simple syrup, which is dissolved sugar in equal part water. It only takes minutes to make a bottle you can enjoy for a month or two. Lavender can be used to add flavor and color to culinary recipes in either fresh or dried form. You can keep cut lavender alive for a few days by placing cut stems in a jar of water. It’s easy to grow in your own backyard and a cinch to maintain and harvest. If the flower is still attached to the Lavender stems you will need to strip or remove the buds. Thick gray-green (summer) to silver-green (winter) foliage. It's a relatively affordable essential oil because of the way the lavender plant is extracted, so a low price isn't necessarily a red flag. Lavender plants can last up to 20 years if taken care of properly. For example, if you have very dry skin and mucus membranes the long-term internal use of lavender may be too drying. Planting on a slight mound can also help prevent water-logging. 50 Ways To Use Lavender. Lavender oil is the essential oil extracted from the flowers of the lavender plant, scientifically known as Lavandula angustifolia. Harvest your Lavender plant once a few flowers have begun to emerge from the Lavender buds. Create aromatic hedges or borders along fences and garden walls as shown in this video for Sweet Romance® lavender. There are many different species of lavender that each have slightly different needs, so if you order a plant online you might not end up with one that will do well in your region. #19 The scent of lavender always reminds me of freshness and comfort. Lavender stems specialize in drought resistance. Lavender adds sweet, peppery, and floral notes to dishes and drinks. 7ft x 8ft and would like to plant full sun, dry soil (top of a slope), bee and insect friendly plants. If you can, I highly recommend visiting a lavender farm, asking some questions, and buying your garden plants from them. Romans used lavender oils for bathing, cooking, and scenting the air, and they most likely gave it the Latin root name (either lavare-to wash or livendula- livid or bluish) from which we derive the modern name. How to Make Lavender Sachets You have planted some Lavender plants and now have a flower harvest to use in crafts.So let's now make homemade Lavender sachets with it. You can easily make quick simple syrup at home by mixing equal parts sugar and hot water until the sugar dissolves. Lavender is often mixed into Herbes de Provence, a blend of strong herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender). Did you know St. Johns Wort is one of the most used herbal medicines in the country? Plant your lavender in well-drained, rocky soil, on a slope (if possible) to ensure drainage. The steam carries the droplets upward, contacting a concave lid, where the oil-laden droplets condense, cool and fall into a collection vessel. Use lavender essential oil in a simple vanilla lavender linen mist. How often do you water lavender? I believe mine are going on year seven. Allison PS, I am very new to gardening. Plant lavender at the same depth it was in its pot. If you were to research this plant, you would find everyone has been a fan for years and years. Lavender is an herb that is used in skin and beauty products but packs a wealth of health benefits, including action against fungi, wounds, and anxiety. Since the tea is already chilled, ice is optional. Potential side effects to look out for. Use lavender as a natural pest repellent near patios and porches. Prevention is always easier than cure. Ancient Greeks and Romans used lavender blossoms to scent bath water, a common use that gave the herb its name, derived from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash. General use. Please don't consider this list as being complete. Lavender plants need circulation so I like to prune them as I do my pear trees. This plant is a great addition to lamb, game, pork and other types of meat. You can also dry your own lavender to use, assuming you are growing culinary lavender. Steep for 10-15 minutes and drink 1 to 3 cupfuls a day. Lavender is a flower of the mint family, and it brings similar palate-refresher properties to a dish. #18 Moreover another great way to use lavender to calm dry, itchy skin is in a natural DIY chamomile lavender body wash. Cooking with Lavender. Lavender is most commonly used in aromatherapy. Water well. Not all types of lavender are suited for kitchen use. I go in each branch and open the middle. Lavender is best known and loved for its fragrance. Dosage and Administration. If you have heavy soil, improve drainage by adding horticultural grit to the planting hole before planting. Best of luck with your herbs. The stem of lavender is very specialized. For instance, you can even sprout winter mimosa from a piece of bark! Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), commonly known as English lavender, is a hardy perennial herb with lovely bluish-purple flowers and an even lovelier scent.It grows in a wide range of climates, including the dry western U.S. states and in high elevations, and is a … You can also make lavender vinegar and you can use it as a salad dressing. If there’s any concern about sensitive skin, try a test run on a small spot in the inner elbow. To prepare lavender tea use 1-2 tsp of whole dried herb, or 1 tbsp fresh herb, per cup of boiling water. It's a good idea to pick out a plant sold by a local nursery, since it will provide varieties that do well in your climate. It loves to thrive and grow in dry climates, and can be a savior when it comes to mood disorders. Lavender can also be used as an addition to grilled salmon with fresh lemon. Cut off a 3- to 5-inch piece with at least two nodes, making sure to cut below where the leaf and stem join together. If you have young, healthy lavender plants, you can work at preventing woody lavender with appropriate planting and cultural care. Use steam distillation to extract oil from lavender at home. In drinks, try it mixed with sweet tea and lemonade. Add a sprinkling of bonemeal to the planting hole, place the plant in the hole, backfill and firm in. Lavender: Ah yes, good old lavender. The steam passes through the herb, picking up tiny droplets of the plant oil. Aromatherapy: Lavender essential oil is used topically as an anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, hypnotic and anxiolytic. Are there certain types of flowers you would recommend? Lavender, (genus Lavandula), genus of about 30 species of the mint family (), native to countries bordering the Mediterranean.Lavender species are common in herb gardens for their fragrant leaves and attractive flowers. However, it can also be just as potent as mint, and you run the risk of only being able to taste lavender in whatever you’re cooking if you don’t use it wisely; common complaints are that it tastes like soap or potpourri. STEP 3: Strain out lavender buds and pour tea into a cup. It is possible to sometimes find essential oils produced from other parts of the botanical or produced using material from multiple parts of a plant. Boil water as you normally would to make a pot of tea, put the tea bags, either green or black tea, the choice is yours, into the pot. Shake well. The keys to lavender care are good drainage and minimal fertilizer. To make a Lavender sachet you will need Lavender flowers that have been dried. This practice will reduce shedding and keep the Lavender buds tight on the stem. Robert Tisserand's thorough description of lavender's safety in pregnancy and breast-feeding. Pick out a lavender plant. ... Of course the nice part is, you don’t have to buy lavender to have it around. Cutting back the entire plant all the way to the woody part is too much of a shock for the plant. I am in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Lavender is a multipurpose plant. I have a brown area that is approx. Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India.. Locate potted lavender plants in a full-sun area that will receive at least 8 hours of sun per day. The flower clusters grow in long upright stems, around the middle or later part of summer. The herb has been used since ancient times in perfumery. Like other herbs, lavender can be propagated from a cutting successfully. Lavender is a simple aromatic plant to grow, both in pots and in full soil. 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