flower blog

Photos courtesy of Rich Dudley, The Bloomery Florist

Two readers recently wrote to me about how much they love lavender. Just thinking about this flower’s singular scent relaxed and recharged me.

Of course, it also made me pine for the South of France, especially Provence, one of the most magical places in the world, with its seemingly endless purple-daubed fields of this ancient flower.

In case you don’t have a trip planned there (it’s now harvest season for fine lavender) check out the offerings of an entire museum devoted to lavender: thelavendermuseum.com.

Or read more at: usa.loccitane.com/FO/Content/Our_Stories/LavenderHarvest.aspx.

Women appreciate lavender because it’s a true multi-tasker: Naturally, it’s used in fragrance and aromatherapy products. And, in various forms, it can be used as a sleep aid, disinfectant and insect repellant as well as to treat burns, relieve headaches or as an herb in cooking.

Here are a few other trivia tidbits:

• Lavender, along with saffron and cinnamon, appears in the Old Testament's “Song of Solomon” as “nard,” a variation of the Greek name, nardus.

• Lavender belongs to the mint family.

• In the Middle Ages, lavender was thought to fight disease.

• The Roman name comes from the verb lavāre (to wash). Fittingly, it was used in Roman baths to scent the water.

• Around the turn of the century, French washerwomen used it in washtubs.