As you probably already know, the presence of pollinators in our gardens – whether we grow our own fruit and vegetables or not – is crucial for the success of our plants and for the planet. There are lots of ways to draw pollinators into your space but the best, in my experience, is lavender. The purple hues can brighten even the smallest outdoor space and the scent that is released in the breeze is both soothing and welcoming. Furthermore, it’s a highly useful and versatile plant and can be used in so many ways throughout the home and beyond.
Our lavender (English lavender) was bought around 8 years ago as plug plants. If I’m honest, I think I might have got them as freebies in a magazine where you just had to pay the postage. It was definitely under a tenner and we received around 30 plug plants. That was way too many for our small space so we gifted lots to friends and family and then planted around 7 or 8 around our garden. We have 5 in our front garden, which is otherwise quite a barren space. The soil is poor and it’s pretty dry; thankfully, lavender enjoys this!
From the moment we planted it, we knew that it was to become a haven for wildlife. The bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles and other wonderful beasties love it. It’s a rich source of pollen and nectar and it seems to provide a good amount of cover for other creatures. We once found a hedgehog hiding underneath! I genuinely couldn’t count how many bees are covering our lavender at any one time but I like to think that they gather here and then take a wee buzz over to the veg patch while they’re visiting, which is obviously great for us too.
As well as being quite resilient plants, they are also very selfless in their beautiful and timely displays. They bloom from spring until late summer, which is good for the pollinators but also good for us too. I like to grab a few handfuls to dry before the buds open and then, once they’re open, I like to cut handfuls to dot around the house.
While I’m happy to pop a paracetamol if a bad headache warrants it, I’m also the type of person who believes in the power of plants and so like to make use of oils and herbs where I can. Lavender has so many excellent benefits for our health: it can aid sleep, relieve stress and anxiety, promote calm and mindfulness and generally make us feel more grounded. It can also help to relieve pain and is great for our skin.
We are still very much exploring the different ways to use our homegrown, organic lavender but so far have used it in tea, we’ve added it to sugar to be used when baking, I’ve added it to homemade soaps, I’ve sewn it in to pouches and dotted around the house and added to wardrobes, I’ve made eye masks for yoga and relaxation and the next task on my list is to to sew some lovely bunnies for my kids and add some lavender inside with the plan being that these will cuddle up with them in bed. I also plan to add some to muslin pouches (along with a few other ingredients for use in our baths in the depths of winter), which I think will feel like such a treat when it’s cold and dark outside.
If you don’t already have lavender, I’d really encourage you to add even just one little plant to your outdoor space whether that’s an allotment, home garden, community garden, balcony or front door step. They will do well both in the ground and in pots. Apart from pruning it fairly indiscriminately with a pair of shears once a year, I do nothing to it. Because it’s in the ground, I don’t water it or maintain it in any other way. It seems to like the barren landscape that is our front garden (builders’ rubble under the surface and all) and thrives on near-neglect.
If you’d like to see some of the ways that we use our lavender, drop me a message on Instagram or contact me via the ‘Contact’ page above. I’d also be really keen to hear about the different ways that you make use of lavender in your home.
