Feeling tired of being cold and wintery? Spring flowering lavender is just the tonic for end of winter blues.
If you are feeling stressed or low on energy, just rub the leaves and flowers with your fingers and breathe in its warm, soothing fragrance.
There is so much to appreciate about lavender. Its flowers touch our hearts, especially when we are given a bunch. After all, it is the herb of love.
Lavender flowers add extra bubbles to a glass of champagne and perfume delicious desserts, cakes and other baked goodies.
A cup of lavender tea soothes anxiety and irritability, especially those stress headaches. It even helps relieve indigestion and bloating. A sprig of lavender under the pillow at night helps us to sleep better.
Lavender is easy to grow, has low water needs and requires very little care but always looks good. Grow it as a companion with roses, use it to line a pathway, as a clipped hedge or in containers. Its silvery foliage lights up the garden at night. Birds, bees and butterflies love it too.
Growing tips
- Find a place for your lavender that gets full sun or plenty of morning sun.
- You can plant lavender in ordinary garden soil, just add plenty of compost so that the soil drains well.
- If you have clay soil rather plant your lavender in pots, using good quality potting soil.
- Water regularly while plants are settling in. Once they are growing, water once a week or as necessary.
- Allow space between plants so that the leaves dry quickly after watering. This prevents fungus diseases.
- Trim after each flush of flowers to encourage new flowers.
Try these four beautiful lavenders
