Lavender

Where it grows

Wild lavender clings to dry, alkaline hillsides around the Mediterranean basin, from Spain to Croatia. Commercial English lavender is cultivated on the limestone uplands of Provence, in Bulgaria, and on the chalk downs of southern England, where the dry summers concentrate the essential oil in the flowers.

How to recognise it

Look for the characteristic four-sided stems of the mint family, paired narrow grey-green leaves, and conical spikes of small two-lipped purple flowers above the foliage. Plants grow as rounded woody shrubs forty to ninety centimetres tall, woody and bare at the base, flowering on new wood at the tips.

Garden & cultural uses

Lavender’s essential oil drives an entire perfume industry centred on Provence, with two distinct crops: English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) for fine perfume and the hardier hybrid lavandin (L. × intermedia) for soap and detergent. Dried flowers fill linen sachets and bouquets garnis; lavender sugar flavours shortbread and ice cream.

In medicine

Studies suggest inhaled linalool, the main lavender essential-oil constituent, has mild anxiolytic effects, supporting the folk reputation of lavender pillows for restful sleep.