Lavender - cultivation and care

A beautiful half-shrub with incredibly fragrant flowers is lavender. Her cultivation is mainly in the south in order to obtain a very valuable essential oil. There are several kinds of lavender, but the most popular (and frost-resistant) mountain. A native plant from the Mediterranean. Under conditions of easy shelter for the winter and the corresponding soil, lavender can grow in the middle zone of our country. True, it will be impossible to get oil from it. But this is a very decorative plant and its flowers can be used in everyday life.

Mountain lavender is an evergreen half-shrub of the family of labial flowers. Stems branched at the base of a height of 35-60 cm are numerous. They form a bush with a root penetrating deep into the soil. The diameter of such a bush can reach one meter. Leaves are small, gray-green, oblong-linear, pubescent. Flowers are very small, collected in whorls, form a spicate interrupted inflorescence. Corolla in lavender flowers is bluish-violet and light blue. Seeds are glossy, dark brown, oblong. Such external characteristics are lavender.

Cultivation and cultivation of this plant on the territory of the CIS occurs in Ukraine (in the Crimea), in Moldova, occasionally in the Krasnodar Territory and Central Asia.

A man could not pass by this fragrant plant. Already many centuries in the south of France they collected lavender to get oil from it. It is very valuable and widely used in the manufacture of perfumes, colognes, pastes, creams, toilet water, toilet soap of the highest quality, in liqueur production and for the flavoring of wines. In medicine it is used as an antiseptic external remedy. You can also rub it with bruises, wounds, rheumatism, burns and skin parasites.

Dried flowers of lavender are used in the fight against moths, they shift furs, carpets, woolen fabrics. They are also used for fragrant poultices, snuffs, herbal pads, smoking charges, aromatherapy. Sprigs and leaves are ground, added to fragrant resins and thus make fragrant candles.

Practically unpretentious plant is lavender. Care for her is very simple. After flowering, the stems are cut to collect useful and fragrant shoots, as well as to give the bushes a decorative appearance. A lot of light - it is in this environment loves to grow lavender. Cultivation of it should occur in drained, sandy soil. In clay, dense and heavy ground, it is better to fill in coarse-grained sand. Do not use any fertilizer.

Sowing is done on seedlings in early spring. For good growth, it is necessary to monitor the soil: it must be constantly moist. It is advisable to cover the crops and regularly water them. You can also propagate lavender cuttings. To do this, cut off the non-flowering young shoots, cut off the lower leaves and plant them in a moist substrate for rooting. A box with cuttings should be placed in a shaded place.

For winter, it is desirable to cover the plant with lapnik (or other breathable material). If lavender grows in containers, cultivation should be continued in a cool room.

Lavender bushes can be used as a hedge or curb. To give them a neat look, you can decorate with an original curly hairstyle.