Not quite Provence, but close
Sunday, July 10, 2011 
Instead of booking a holiday in Provence, to get my daily dose of lavender I just need to walk 5 minutes from my door to view, touch & inhale the mounds on City Hall's north lawn...
....and at the community garden's main entrance...
Ask me to name my favourite vegetable, tree, or garden writer, and I'll beg you to allow me at least three picks for each & several minutes of deliberation. But when it comes to my favourite herb & scent, I can quickly and easily pick one:
Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
This morning for a couple of hours I lost myself in Lavandula while I searched for informative & enchanting links to share. Here's a short reading/viewing list to get you started:
Lavender: Practical Inspirations for Natural Gifts, Country Crafts and Decorative Displays by Tessa Evelegh - on my "own it/often refer to it" list
Lavender: The Grower's Guide by Virginia McNaughton -- added to my "to read" list this morning
The Genus Lavandula by Tim Upson and Susyn Andrews -- also added to the growing "to read" list
Mountain Valley Growers' Lavender pages: Lavender (descriptions of 24 varieties), Lavender 1.2.3 (care and tips)
And for your viewing pleasure, I recommend searching Google images for "lavender and Provence".
Now I'm off to the community garden for a compost workshop and group work party. Naturally, I'll volunteer to weed the bed with lavender.
I'd love to hear about your thoughts about this aromatic herb. Do you have a favourite cultivar? Do you grow the plant, and if so, from seeds or cuttings or both? Please share your stories and tips in the comments.
Reader Comments (5)
My parents used to have a huge lavender bush. A couple of times, while we were on holiday, they looked after Trilby. Her favourite midday sleeping spot was underneath the bush and she'd come out smelling of lavender.
I love the vibrant colour of that variety of lavender. I was listening to a podcast on bees the other day and one of the speakers said they love blue plants, so it's an excellent plant for a community garden, where many things need pollinating!
Lovely photos! I can practially smell the delighful scent just looking at your photos. I started a whole bunch of Munstead lavender from seed this spring. The seedlings are still very small, but I hope I will be able to transplant them out this fall.
Hello, Kathryn - How delightful to have a mental image of Trilby sleeping under & then emerging from the lavender -- makes me smile. And yes, it is a excellent plant to include in the community garden for the pollinators as well as people who pass by & need some aromatherapy.
Thank you, Kateri. How wonderful that you started lavender from seed. 'Munstead" is a lovely cultivar
I like the idea of having a holiday in Provence just down the road.
One of my favourite garden writers, Jackie French, writes about making potpurri from plants that smell good rather than essential oils and pretty seeds. Lavender is always in her recipes, and mandarin peel.
Hello, Arwen. I'm not familiar with Jackie French's writing - I will have to take a look at her books. Sounds like a lovely idea for potpourri.