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Lovely Lavender
By Sharon Tabor Warren
Garden Guides
If I could have only one plant in my yard, I would
choose lavender. This wonderful bush came into my
life when we purchased a home with a front flowerbed
of perennials and two gray-green shrubs. It wasn't
until June, when the bushes sprang into full
glorious purple bloom, that I recognized the
plants.
There was no mistaking their identity. One whiff of
the subtle fragrance, and I was whisked back to my
childhood and memories of a favorite "auntie" to
whom we always gave Yardley's English Lavender
toiletries. That first spring I cut the flowers,
dried them, tied them in bunches, laid them in the
linen closets, tucked them in dry
flower arrangements and scattered sprigs everywhere
I could. As I worked with my lavender plants, I
discovered the foliage of the shrub is as fragrant
as the flower. A gentle shake or a fond pet of the
plant releases the fragrance from early spring to
frost.
Several years later, I ordered half a dozen more
lavender plants. I was disappointed when I opened
the package and discovered tiny starts with a bit of
dirt, each wrapped in plastic. They were smaller
than tomato bedding plants and looked only
half-alive. I thought it would be years before they
flowered, if they lived at all.
The
following spring, however, the plants recuperated
from winter and thrived through the hot summer. The
second year, they bloomed in the spring and were
well on their way to maturity.
Lavender plants are sun loving and need well-drained
soil. They can be planted almost any time, and even
started indoors from seed. Plants may succumb to old
age after ten years but are cheaply replaced.
Once I started searching, I was amazed at the
different types available. One species, English
lavender, has over forty named varieties. The blooms
range from lavender-hued gray to a vibrant royal purple.
There are also
species with blooms in other colors: white, pink,
and a yellow-green. The flowers themselves are
small, sometimes bud-like but open and full on others, and they grow up the
spiky stems. Foliage typically ranges from dusty
green to silvery gray and a few species have bright
chartreuse leaves.
Some lavender hugs the ground with a height of only
six inches. Others become bushes more than four feet
in height. There is a size to fit almost any
landscaping need. If you're selecting lavender
plants for a specific garden design, familiarize
yourself with the many species and varieties and
consult an expert if in doubt.
Lavender requires very little care unless you want a
formal, sheared and shaped plant. Only my very old
ones, the two that were in the front yard's
meandering bed, have ever required any major clipping. The debris from the
clip job went into a basket to be added to the
woodstove - another way to enjoy the sweet summer
smell of lavender during the dead of winter.
The
lavender can be grown in a variety of North
American climates. Time of bloom will depend on
geographic location, type of lavender and current
weather phenomena. In the mid-Atlantic region, where I live, it is possible to
have plants in bloom from June until late September.
They thrive in our hottest and most drought-ridden
summers without watering, and live through our
occasional harsh and icy winters.
In a moderate
climate such as the West Coast, it
would be possible to have lavender in bloom every
day of the year.
In the north, where winters are longer and more
severe, lavender can be placed in pots and moved to
a porch or other sheltered spot during the colder
season. In the south, where summers last forever and
it can be extremely hot, partial shade is
recommended. Also, seek advice on specific varieties
for your gardening zone.
If there is a sunny spot on the walkway to your
house, that's an ideal place for a potted lavender
or bush because its fragrance will surround you each
time you arrive and leave. You'll get in the habit
of running your fingers over its foliage to release
the aroma as you pass. What could be better than a
single plant that is decorative, aromatic and
provides ingredients for many other projects?
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