Growing Lavender Indoors

The Queen of Herbs

Lavender herb imageThe word "Lavender" comes from the Latin "lavare" which means "to wash". According to folklore lavender is a favourite scent of the elves, which is why it is sometimes referred to as Elf Leaf.

Lavender herb originally comes from Western Europe. A member of the Mint family, Lavender is the most popular of aromatic herbs. Since ancient Roman times and before, people have loved Lavender for its beautiful, fresh scent, attractive flowering habit, and its 'lucky' reputation.

Most lavender herbs have small, narrow leaves of a gray-green color. Some have wider, toothed leaves and some have feathery, fernlike leaves. The flowers of lavender arise on long stems and consist of whorls of tiny flowers. Flower colors range from deep purple to paler blues and shades of violet, pink and white. The flowers are very attractive to bees and butterflies.

Lavender herb is a hardy perennial that has many uses in crafts, aromatherapy, cooking and decorating. Lavender planted in the garden is a natural pest deterrent, discouraging fleas and flies.

Planting

Lavender is an easy herb to grow and is very rewarding too.

  • Pot size                        at least 7.5" container.
  • Seed Spacing              Sow Lavender seeds quite shallowly, barely covering with the soil.
  • Seed Germination        10 to 28 days.
  • Plant Spacing               Lavender plants should be spaced 18 to 24 inches (45 - 60cm) apart.
  • Water Requirements    Water on a regular schedule, do not overwater.
  • Soil Requirements        Light, well-drained, deep, not overly rich soil.
  • Growing Mix                 Mix the potting compost with peat or coarse sand.
  • Fertilizer                        Lavender is very sensitive to over fertilization. Use a small amount of complete fertilizer or dynamic lifter once a year
  • Sun Requirements        Lavender prefers full sun but can tolerate some shade. It needs 8 to 12 hours of sun a day.
Uses

Lavender is a very special herbal tisane which has calming effects that helps relieve stress, fatigue, headache and insomnia. Drinking a cup of Lavender tea before going to bed is known to promote restful sleep. Suffering from a hangover – drink lavender tea. Make an infusion with three lavender sprigs in a tea pot for the morning after. Lavender tea blends well with peppermint leaves.

Lavender herb photo
Lavender has a sweet, exotic flavor and often used as a cooking herb. Fresh lavender flowers can be used to flavor fruit salads as well as flavoring syrup for jellies. Lavender flowers can also be used to flavor milk and cream for deserts. Use lavender instead of rosemary when cooking chicken.

Lavender is a natural antiseptic cleanser. Lavender soaps are a natural way to clean and heal the skin. Dried flowers and seeds are used in herbal sleep pillows and baths for soothing and calming frayed nerves.

Lavender essential oil is used for a number of medical conditions: to soothe the skin, for digestion, for headaches and insomnia, for nervousness and anxiety, for depressive feelings, and for stress relief.

As a Magical herb lavender is used for peace and love.


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3 comment.:

jik said...

I just wanted to comment and say that I really enjoyed reading your article here. It was very informative.

3 September 2012 at 12:41  
Anonymous said...

Let's all hug and kiss our lavender plants. Better yet, each person should build their own personal worship alter in it's name! It's a plant and it's pretty and smells good. It's not magical and "elves" are just folklore and need not be mentioned. Grow it, enjoy it, use it. The end

7 October 2012 at 12:35  
Unknown said...

Hi,
I can see that you are putting a lots of efforts into your blog. Keep posting the good work. Herb growing kits are time savers. These kits will give you the best herbs for any use. Give few minutes to grow the herbs in time.

Thanks!
Greg Smith

30 July 2013 at 06:35  

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