Aunt Kitty's Garden of wonders

Tranquility, cleanliness, purity, and ease of mind are long-held associations with lavender. Izaak Walton, of The Compleat Angler, wrote, “I long to be in a house where the sheets smell of lavender.” The herbalist Gerard prescribed bathing the temples with tincture of lavender to treat headaches and migraine.

Lavender is in full bloom, and if you are growing any, now is a good time to harvest, but be sure to leave plenty of flowers for the bees, hoverflies, and butterflies. Ideally, harvest lavender while the flowers are still in bud, which will preserve the color and fragrance longer. In the morning after any dew has dried, clip the stems individually near the first leaves. Tie bundles of stems together and hang in a shaded, warm place to dry. Once dry, you can shake or rub the flowers from the stems to use in sachets, or use the whole stems in lavender wreaths or to weave lavender wands.

There are many varieties of English, French, and Spanish lavender in shades of purple, white, and blue. While it has a reputation of being short-lived, with good care and annual fall pruning to cut back woody growth, lavender plants can live for decades.