Jo is a new member to the Lavendar club.
Tell us what you have found with it. Did it help you relax at all? Help you sleep better? Give you a feeling of well being?

I am interested in hearing what your experience with Lavendar was.

------------------
Sandalwood's Cosmic Creations: Working with the magic of love....

I have some wonderful bath gel and lotion that has lavendar in it. I need to get some of the real thing, though, the next time I'm near Mom's herb garden!

------------------
From over the pond....

Sue I use Rosemary as a wake up upper too. I have two huge Rosemary plants and cut back every week and put in vases around the house.

------------------
Sandalwood's Cosmic Creations: Working with the magic of love....

However singing and loving it should work wonders!!

------------------
Sandalwood's Cosmic Creations: Working with the magic of love....

------------------
Sandalwood's Cosmic Creations: Working with the magic of love....

There are many good books and articles on lavender. Its' many uses have been well documented for centuries. From the early Romans, whose communal baths were fragranced with lavender oil, to the Egyptians who used lavender in perfumes and incense, to the Monks of England who used lavender in medicinal remedies, to modern day aromatherapy and crafting, lavender is always a true and trusted herb. As with most herbs, its uses are so varied that it is almost unbelievable. Lavender has been loved and consider valuable for centuries.

In a landscape, lavender is a must in herb gardens and cottage gardens. The fragrant flowers vary from deep purple to pink, white and yellow/green. The green or gray foliage and even the stems are very fragrant. Lavender can be pruned to form hedges or topiaries or allowed to grow naturally into rounded bushes.

Native to the Mediterranean area, lavender likes hot, dry summers and cold winters. It likes full sun, little water, well draining soil and little or no fertilizer. Prune the top 1/3 of the plant after blooming and that is all!

The hardest part of growing lavender is deciding on the variety that best suits your needs. Do you have room for English lavender that grows 3-4' tall and as wide or would Hidcote fit in your landscape better (12-18")? Then decide on color verses fragrance. Spanish lavender has beautiful deep purple flowers & is usually the first to bloom in late winter, but it does not have much fragrance. Other lavenders have more fragrance, but are not as colorful. Would you like your French lavender with green or gray foliage? Many cultivars seem to cover the best of everything; medium size, very fragrant and colorful (Grosso, Munstead, Hidcote, Twickle Purple.) You could start a collection if you wanted to.

In Victorian England, Queen Victoria made the best of lavender, using it to perfume body and house, to wash floors and clean furniture, fragrance the linens, repel insects, treat lice, perfume potpourri and soap and as a medicinal cure-all.

At the end of a stressful day, treat yourself to a relaxing bath by adding drops of lavender oil and bath salts to the bathwater and then sip some herbal lavender tea. Use your lavender sleep pillow to help you fall asleep and dream of the beautiful lavender fields of Province.

Use the lavendar oil the other night and it was the first night that I have slept straight through in many weeks - with diabetes I tend to wake to attend to nature then find that I cannot get back to sleep ... I end up exhausted by the end of the week and have to spend most of Saturday and Sunday mornings in bed to compensate.

------------------
From over the pond....

[This message has been edited by sue943 (edited 05-06-2000).]

[This message has been edited by ren32 (edited 05-06-2000).]

Ren I am glad that the little tip is helping you grow your lavender, I wish you much success.

there are loads of other lavender links here

[This message has been edited by Pling (edited 03-26-2001).]