Medieval herb garden blog 84: Lavender

Week 84 volunteer update

We are all desperately in need of water for the gardens. Unfortunatley, the rain forecast for Monday night arrived early. This meant that we couldn’t continue with cutting back the lavender. It would have been too damp to successfully store for future use.

So Kim, yet again, weeded the dry stone wall below the keep. Carole carried out the weekly flower count and spoke to visitors about the plants. She prepared the remainder of lavender, that had been cut last week, to go into the basket in the shop.

Once the lavender is finished, it will be time to give the rosemary another 'haircut'.

Plant of the week: Lavender (lavendulan angustifolia)

'Lavandula' comes from the Latin 'lavare' ('to wash'). It was used in baths and laundry. 'Angustifolia' is a combination of the Latin 'angustus' ('narrow') and 'folium' ('leaf'). Together, it means 'narrow-leaved'.

'Lavender' comes from the Old French word 'lavandre', which means ‘to wash’.

Lavender is native to the Mediterranean. It is a small, aromatic, evergreen shrub. It prefers to grow in full sun, in well-drained soil that is not clay-based or north facing. It does not like to get damp in winter. It grows to a height and width of 3 to 4 ft (90 to 120 cm).

The stems from previous years’ growth are woody. The new year’s leaves are grey-green, evergreen and narrow. They are spear-shaped with smooth edges ending in a sharp narrow tip. They measuring about 1 to 2.5 inches (2.5 to 6 cm) long and up to 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) wide. The leaves are lighter or whitish-green underneath. They grow in opposite pairs and grow closely together along the lower parts of the plant’s woody stems. The leaves have a soft, fine texture due to tiny hairs. They produce a strong, sweet smell when crushed or rubbed.

Lavender flowers from June to August. The flowers are usually purple (or indeed lavender). They are small, tube-shaped and bilaterally symmetrical. The flowers grow in dense, thin, terminal spikes. These are 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm) long. The flower spikes grow on top of long, leafless stems. The stems are 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) long.

Each tiny flower has a tubular calyx and a two-lipped corolla, with small bracts. They give out a rich, sweet and aromatic fragrance.

Lavender produces tiny black seeds. It has a strong, woody and deep taproot. From this grows a dense network of highly-branched, fibrous, lateral roots.

Lavender should be cut back in late August, before the flowers are completely brown. This encourages bushy growth the following year. Try not to cut too far back into the woody stems as they might not grow back. However, as a test one year, Carole cut back one lavender plant almost to the ground. It still grew back!