Down through time, lavender has been known by many for its aromatic fragrance and decorative beauty. With the combination of these two qualities, it is no wonder that lavender is such an irresistible force in our marketplace.

But lavender holds many more secrets than just its sweet smell or attractive appeal.

Secrets that when opened, can make an effect on our usual everyday existence, our health, and even our cooking habits.

Philippa Waring makes it very clear at the onset of this book that it is in the best interest of the reader to consult a “qualified” physician in health related issues, and that even though the contents of the book have been carefully documented and researched, you are at your own risk when practicing any of the remedies contained herein.

With that being said, Philippa Waring introduces us to lavender with a little background into its history of modern medicinal use, a brief description of the lavender plant, and lists some of its general uses. Also, since you may want to purchase some lavender oil, you are provided with what to look for in terms of quality and content.

Then, in relation to the history of lavender, we are given a more detailed account of how the importance of lavender grew in England, after which Philippa Waring takes us on a remarkable tour of the distillation process of extracting oil from the lavender.

Naturally, if you are going to purchase lavender plants for your garden, you will need to know something about the different varieties of lavender to make an educated decision. The list supplied seems to have been written with the English climate and conditions in mind, but it offers some good detail none the less.

Next, how do you get the lavender to grow? Even though this is a hardy plant, there are things you can do to improve its health and beauty.

• Where in your garden do you plant it
• How do you get it started if you want to start from the beginning
• The importance of pruning
• Even though lavender is a bug repellant, it still has its own bugs to worry about
• Diseases to be wary of
• How to harvest your lavender and then how to keep it

You will also find some other good practical garden ideas in this chapter as well.

Now that you have your lavender, how does it come in handy in your home? How about sachets, scent bags, potpourri, drawer-liners, bottles … all these and many more are discussed.

Of course, there are the medicinal uses of lavender, which are given in alphabetical order for your convenience. Pimples, athlete’s foot, toothache, sinusitis, insomnia, eczema are just to name a few of the issues you can treat (with caution).

There are still a host of other useful tips for lavender, to which a whole other chapter has been devoted. Tips for such things as air fresheners, ant guard, window cleaning, jet lag, wood polish, etc.

If you want to liven up your cooking menu, add a little lavender. Just follow the recipes for your culinary enjoyment, from breakfast to lunch to dinner, with tea and dessert in between.

Philippa Waring finishes the book with the amusing story of lavender through the eyes of history and folklore, and delves into the romantic side of lavender, even supplying you with the means of fresh breath and beautiful hair.

Scattered throughout the book are black and white illustrations to help you visualize what Philippa Waring is trying to portray.

Lavender – Nature’s Way to Relaxation and Health (1997 edition) is a paperback book containing 128 pages.

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This book about lavender is not your usual book about lavender.

Tessa Evelegh, in her desire to pass along to us the fascinating beauty and rich aromatic fragrance of this magical plant, has very well succeeded with the ideas and projects that she introduces.

The book itself is beautiful. It is hard bound, with a front cover in light lavender hues having a few sprigs of lavender that sweep into focus, the lavender heads being on the bottom half of the page. The back cover is of a darker lavender shade, with a few pictures that give a glimpse into what lies ahead. Many hard bound books are somewhat plain, with a nice looking paper book cover to spruce it up. Tessa Evelegh has gone a step further, and the same look of the paper book cover is printed onto her actual book. The book is a square 9¼ inches high by 10 inches wide, with 128 colorful pictures, and contains a handy index.

With that all being said, Tessa Evelegh's book about lavender would be a handsome addition to anybody's library.

As you flip through the book, you will be impressed by the rich photography of Debbie Patterson. The pictures of the particular projects are great, and her full page picture spreads are warm and rich, full of color, and very inviting. In each picture, it seems that you have to stop and take a minute to soak in all the eye-catching detail.

Since a little knowledge of lavender's basic story is helpful in producing lavender creations, Tessa Evelegh begins the book with a chapter about its history, to include some of the fascinating folklore surrounding lavender down through the centuries. She even includes some of the benefits of lavender in this chapter, with some simple everyday aromatherapy uses (used at your own discretion of course).

Naturally, to do your own lavender projects, it helps to grow your own lavender. In the next chapter, Tessa Evelegh explains the cultivation process in some detail, covering a number of different types, how soil and climate affects them, growing the lavenders, where to plant them in your garden, and how to harvest them.

Having those two bits of information tucked behind your belt, so to speak, it is finally time to start the projects.

And what better way to get this started than with the use of linens, from sachets to lavender "bottles" to linen bags. Then you can't forget the beauty of the lavender itself, so you will find great ideas on wreath making, garlands, and other elegant displays. And since you don't want to hide that wonderful lavender fragrance, Tessa Evelegh supplies you with a myriad of ways to enjoy that rich aroma. Potpourri, lavender water, soap and oven mitts are just to name a few.

She finishes the book off with some "delicious" ways to enjoy lavender. And if the recipes aren't enough to make your mouth water, Debbie Patterson's scrumptious pictures that compliment the recipes will.

We have only one word for you as you open Tessa Evelegh's book called "Lavender."

Enjoy!

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We have come across a little gem which was tucked away in the back of another older book about lavender.

This book is simply entitled: "Lavender."

It is actually more of a booklet, being the size of standard typing paper folded in half. But with only 24 pages (not including the cover), this little book is packed with information.

One of the interesting things about this book is that it is copyrighted in 1960. With that in mind, you are given a snapshot of what the lavender market was like back in those days, and how far lavender had spread up to that time.

So when compared to the information of today, it makes a somewhat interesting read.

Of course, Edna Neugebauer was one of the lavender experts of her day, and what she has to say has the weight of authority behind it.

After a brief introduction of lavender, she makes it clear that …

“The explanations which follow are intended for the amateur or home gardener, who is growing a few plants in a home-sized garden, not for the commercial production either of plants or flowers.”She begins by devoting quite a few pages to the history of lavender, even as to how it might be mentioned in the New Testament. You are taken through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with quotes and information, right up to more recent times, from around the world to our own country.

After some familiarity with lavender and where it comes from, Edna Neugebauer gets right to the business of growing lavender, explaining four (4) different ways to propagate this plant …

Seed Cuttings Layering Division When the new plants are ready, why it is important for you to find a good garden spot for them, and where to plant them in your garden are covered in the Cultivation section.

When and How to Harvest are given next.

Then we come to the Uses of lavender.

Early medicinal uses Commercial importance of oil Honey The personal use of the fragrance in things such as pot-pourris and sachets Using the beauty of the plant itself The last and largest section of the book is devoted to the different Species and Varieties, complete with scientific names and their descriptions, divided into five (5) sections

Stoechas Spica Pterostachys Chaetostachys Subnuda The very last page has a picture of Edna Neugebauer working in her garden, with a brief summary of her work and contributions.

Laced through the booklet are numerous “Illustrations from the author’s copy of a rare and valuable study of Lavendula species by Baron Fred. de Gingins-Lassaraz, published 1826, in Geneva, reprinted here from the original.”

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What a refreshing way to portray lavender.

Though this book is no longer in print, and may be considered a relic by some (being printed in the early 90’s), if you can come in possession of one, this is a read that is certainly worth your time and effort.

Pamela Allardice begins her book not so much with the “history” of lavender, but more the story behind it. As she so eloquently puts it, it’s about the lavender “lore,” taken from “a host of legends and fairy tales.”

From this journey through lavender’s memoirs, Pamela Allardice gives us an account of how lavender and love have become connected. She provides many antidotes of how lavender would be used by the young maidens to ensure their young men falling in love with them. But not just the maidens, but other uses as well, such as keeping your lover faithful as he journeyed by land or sea.

It would only follow, that with all the benefits of lavender, from its fragrance and beauty, to how the butterflies and bees love it (and how the other insects turn their noses up to it), the lavender should definitely be in our gardens.

So some of the issues Pamela Allardice discusses are …

• what kind of lavender to get
• how to start and grow lavender
• and even where to put lavender in the garden

Of course this is along with how harvest and prepare lavender for use.

Now that you have all this lavender, what do you do with it?

Well, how about lavender cuisine for starters. This was once very widespread. From spices, to spreads, to decorations, and everything in between, lavender can be a “delightful” compliment to your dining experience.

Pamela Allardice then gives some excellent tips on gathering and preparing the lavender flowers, and then provides you with some wonderful lavender recipes to experiment with.

With a content pallet, how else can lavender be used for “Milady?”

From such a rich oil and fragrance, lavender has many effective uses for a body according to Pamela Allardice. Mouthwash, skin tonic, soap, balms, moisturizing creams, and hair rinse are just to name a few. And she gives you all this complete with the ingredients to put these lavender remedies together.

And speaking of remedies, she also delves into the medicine chest, providing many natural lavender treatments for different ailments. Of course, your discretion is needed as you explore these unusual prescriptions.

In the end, Pamela Allardice concludes this book of lavender by giving us different uses of lavender around the house. With its fragrance and beauty, lavender offers many ways in which you can keep the atmosphere fresh and fragrant. She will show you the secrets of lavender potpourri, along with many other ideas, such as lavender in candles, sachets, pillows and toys.

Pamela Allardice makes all this information available so that you can “share your enjoyment of this lovely and useful plant” with your friends and family.

Scattered throughout the book, on the left hand columns of the pages, you will find quips and quotes about lavender from folks down through the centuries, with both humorous and historical perspectives.

Simone Bennett’s beautiful illustrations add the finishing touch to an already enchanting book.

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This book is definitely for the serious lavender grower, as Virginia McNaughton sets out in great detail the entire range of lavender cultivars.

In writing this book, her desire was to give a descriptive listing of “some” of the lavender cultivars, and with such a large range within the lavandula genus, it would seem that she succeeded. Her list is quite impressive.

So no matter what you are looking for, whether for the love of lavender, or for the color and scheme of your garden (or both), you are bound to find a lavender cultivar that will suit your needs.

In her first chapter, Virginia McNaughton lays a great foundation by introducing all the aspects of the “General Cultivation” of lavender. Some of the questions she answers …

• What kind of soil content
• How much water
• How and when to prune (very important to a healthy lavender plant)
• What’s the best fertilizer
• How to transplant
• The importance of weed control
• Harvesting and drying the lavender
• How to plant these wonderful cultivars in your garden

She also spends some time with the “how to’s” of propagating lavender, and dealing with pests and diseases.

Without some knowledge of the makeup of lavender, it would seem pointless to go into a descriptive list of all the cultivars, so Virginia McNaughton dedicates a portion of her book to the “Botany of Lavender.” Measurements, shapes, and colors are given, not just of the lavender plant itself, but also of each part of the plant. The information in this chapter is very informative and well lay out. After a brief history of lavender, the “Classification and Lavender Species” are broken down for you. Considering the scope and size of the genus Lavandula, quite a few pages are devoted to this task.

At last, the stage has been set for a brief description of each and every cultivar listed in this book. Virginia McNaughton divides these into five sections of the different cultivars …

• Lavandula angustifolia
• Lavandula x intermedia
• Lavandula lanata x Lavandula angustifolia
• Lavandula stoechas
• Other Lavenders

The book is appropriately finished with a chapter on the relationship of lavender around the world. How the lavender works into the history and industry of other countries.

You will find spread throughout the pages of this book many, many great pictures of the lavender, helping to convey in their own beautiful descriptive language all the different facets of the lavender and its cultivars.

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