Health News and Information

English Lavender is the variety from which the strongest oil is obtained. As a girl, I was told the Mitcham Lavender products were the best; and on recent inquiry I found that the old plantations of lavender at Mitcham, in Surrey (now unfortunately entirely built over by housing settlements) produced not only good quality oil, but a product priced six times higher than the French oil on the world market.

The chalky soils of Surrey provided lavender with one of its requirements, alkaline conditions. In this country, it is necessary to put plenty of dolomite or lime into the soil in preparation for planting a lavender bush. Work one or two handfuls well into the soil under the roots, and also sprinkle it through the topsoil around the plant, forking it in lightly. Lavender bushes will last and thrive if given this alkaline environment and plenty of water, with good drainage away from the roots.

Plant a bush near your laundry door and, on a sunny still day, dry your prettiest handkerchiefs and underclothes spread out on the bush. English lavender is a compact, low-growing shrub, with long-stemmed heads of loosely-set deep-mauve flowers. The stems and silvery foliage are also used in the extraction of the oil. The flowers can be dried very easily if picked when the sun has evaporated any dew, and hung in small bunches head downwards for a couple of weeks. Humid weather will, of course, mean a longer drying time.

French Lavender grows to a hardy 3 to 4 feet high, with strong woody branches topped with short-stemmed soft mauve flower-heads above the greyish-green foliage. This variety is also very easy to dry.

My own French Lavender bushes remain vigorously growing and in flower for the greater part of the year. They live close to a rather decrepit piece of down-piping, which overflows at every heavy rain. Drainage is rapid, though, and the lavender bushes are fit and well, and covered with the long-stemmed spikes.

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