Let’s Grow Lavender
How to Grow Lavender in Containers
Lavender is a fragrant flowering herb with origins in the Mediterranean. It likes heat, full sun, and well-drained sandy soil. It does not like to be damp or cold. It needs water, but should be allowed to dry out between waterings. Lavender can do quite well in containers. One advantage of container-growing lavender is the option to protect it from the occasional cold spell we experience in the Southeastern US. Outdoor lavender pots can be moved into a sunny indoor location and back outdoors again when the cold spell passes.
Lavender can be grown from cuttings as well as seeds. Cuttings will sprout in 2-3 weeks. To grow by cutting, make cuts just below where a set of leaves joins a healthy-looking stem. Dip the cut end in root hormone and poke into warm, moist sandy soil in a location with full sun. Once rooted, it does best in a pot that drains quickly when watered. This can be aided by using pots with multiple drain holes, and if indoors, using a non-attached saucer under the pot that can be drained. Use an alkaline, sandy, well-draining potting mix with slow-release fertilizer pellets. Allow the Lavender to dry out fully between waterings, and water sparingly.
Natural clay pots are a good choice for lavender because evaporation after watering occurs more quickly in unglazed clay pots. And the naturally warm buff color range of unglazed clay containers compliments lavender’s purple flowers well.
Enjoying Lavender Beyond the Garden
The captivating scent of lavender has been celebrated for centuries among many cultures. Its aroma has long been associated with calming nerves and promoting relaxation. Studies indicate lavender essential oil may be effective for improving sleep quality for people who have difficulty sleeping. Lavender essential oil should not be ingested, but its use in aromatherapy has shown promise in various studies for its effectiveness in reducing pain during labor, lowering blood pressure, and treating anxiety and stress.
The fresh leaves from your container-grown plants can be steeped in hot water to make tea. In addition to the pleasure of its minty floral flavor, tea made from lavender has calming properties that may help promote falling asleep more easily when consumed at bedtime.
Lavender is one of the herbs used in herbs de Provence, a mix of aromatic herbs of the Mediterranean that is most often used in chicken, pork, and fish dishes. As a key player in this mild combination of herbs that is used extensively in provincial French cuisine, it is essential. Used alone in cooking, lavender can be too intensely floral and should be used sparingly, to taste. It’s also well suited as a flavoring in fatty sweets such as chocolate and chocolate desserts, ice cream and buttery scones and cookies.
Lavender infused honey produced by bees that forage in the wild areas of Edisto, South Carolina is an intriguing and convenient way to add the flavor and scent of lavender to coffee, tea, cocktails, mocktails and baking. Natural raw honey from the region that is infused with lavender is an earth-sustaining plant-based sweetener that brings additional nutritional environmental and health benefits to your lavender enjoyment experience.
