Lavandin is grown extensively in Provence, France

The Obvious Differences
When comparing the two together there are visual differences, the Lavandin is usually found as an ornamental garden plant, its silvery tones and fragrant flowers make a gentle sweeping border dotted with purple which merges well into any flower bed. It is suited to rocky soil and warm sunshine and the flowers are between 2 to 4 inches long at the end of slender squared stems. It can grow to heights of 3 feet and is drought tolerant and a hardy perennial and while true lavender requires an elevation of 1800 feet to grow well, the Lavandin varieties such as Grosso are easier to produce as a crop. Lavandin grows well at 1000 feet and unlike perennials in the shade, enjoys a sunny aspect mostly, and generally flowers later than the angustifolia.

Why is Lavandin Popular?
Lavandin has become a very attractive commercial plant up against true lavender because it produces three times as much oil as lavender which means that it has profitability when mass produced and is very often found in products such as soaps, lotions and hairsprays as well as potpourri and sachets. Its varied uses from oil burners to insect repellent and even in disinfectants, make this a very versatile hybrid and the bulk oil production is sometimes misread as a cheaper variety of oil, but it has a far more camphor and therefore creates a sharper and longer lasting scent. Very often it is used as a base fragrance, and synthetics are blended in to make it smell more like angustifolia oil. For these reasons it is not often used in culinary or some medicinal products. Both of them are however non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing to the skin mostly, although Lavandin having strong antiseptic qualities, has some concerns of it being used for treatment of burns, whereas lavender has an established record of being used safely as a healing herb.

Cut Lavandin Grosso

Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tallchris/191036138/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Although not a substitute for the purer qualities of Lavender, it is no less a valid essence in the world of lavender products and its unique versatility makes it a hybrid which has a commanding future in the world of plant production.

A lot of us would love to have expansive, beautiful gardens, but we are living in spaces and communities with no yard for planting. Container gardening is a great way to get your gardening fix no matter what amount of space you have.

Two of the major benefits of container gardening are that you have full control over the soil quality, and that you can grow plants and herbs year round. Container gardening isn’t just for flowers. You can find a huge variety of planters now for every space, and every project — from trees, to herbs, to fruits and vegetables. You can use a large container for several different types of plants, or you can buy individual containers and group them into interesting arrangements.

Outdoor planters come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, and materials — you can match them to any indoor or outdoor decor, and choose from very large to very small. Container gardening has many advantages over traditional outdoor gardening. Consider container gardening for your living space!

Window_Box_Planter

Whether your garden chairs are vintage 50’s metal or modern teak, outdoor chairs really can set the scene, give a place to sit in solitude, and to rest your weary bones.

I’ve outdoor chairs throughout my property. Some on the porch, some by the firepit, some by the herb bed, even benches in the woods.

They add beauty and comfort to your outdoor living area. Every yard should have some!

garden chair

Over the years I have come across many different types of flowers. For years, I never really put that much thought into which were my favorites. I was pretty much happy getting any kind of flower you could imagine. Even when I hired a landscaping contractor to makeover my back yard, I didn’t really put a lot of thought into which flowers and shrubs I enjoyed the most.

That all changed one day when I walked into my stock broker’s office. His office smelled sweet as could be. The scent was remarkable really. I realized that it was coming directly from this giant bouquet of Stargazer Lilies that he had in his reception area. The smell of the flowers was strong, yet incredibly delightful. I hadn’t realized that such a flower existed.
Ever since that day, the Stargazer Lily has been my absolute favorite. Whenever we get flowers for the house now, I try to include at least one Stargazer. I prefer them to roses. In my opinion, their beauty and fragrance is unmatched.

If you have never taken the time to really investigate the different kinds of fragrant flowers out there, then consider this your challenge to do so. Take some time to visit your local florist. Ask him or her about what kinds of fragrant flowers they like. Let her show you what she sells and which ones are the most fragrant. You just might discover a new favorite for yourself. And, while you are at it be sure to ask about Stargazer Lilies. Be specific. The standard oriental lilies are not the same thing. The oriental ones are not that fragrant. The difference is like night and day.

Your roses and some of the other common table flowers you are used to might move to the backseat after you have that conversation.

GUEST POST

stargazer lilly

The dried oregano went home with me, well at least a pound or so of it. I used it all winter long, in many a recipe. To die for!

The only thing better than last year’s crop of oregano dried for you by an authentic Greek cook, is using your own oregano out of your own herb bed.

This year, I opted to grow my own.

I researched, and researched so that I’d buy the right seed. I read up on how to grow oregano, I prepared the beds, planted my seeds, watered tenderly and waited.

I was rewarded with fresh oregano for different recipes all summer long. The excess I dried myself. We’ll we using ‘our’ freshly dried oregano all winter long.

oregano

Buy the best garden tools and garden equipment you can afford and they’ll serve their purpose for years.

You should also consider a garden cart! Having your own cart makes hauling mulch, fertilizer and flats of flowers so much easier.

And fun!

dog in garden cart

But our friends down under don’t have that issue. They can just visit Bell’s Beach Nursery for plants that grow well in their region.

Bells is open to the public and is in the Victoria’s Surf Coast area, close to Bells Beach (hence the name!) There you’ll meander amongst plants (flowers, herbs, trees and more) that are native to Australia (and the Surf Coast region) thereby making certain that the plants you choose for your own home will flourish.

There’s even a cafe on the grounds! How cool is that?

There’s more to tea (camellia sinensis) than just the few brands you find at the local grocer. In fact one of my favorite kinds of tea is Dragon Well. Dragon Well is a green tea, sometimes called Lung Ching. It’s hand processed and pan-fired and gives classic Chinese green tea flavor in a signature flat shape.

Gunpowder is a very popular green tea as well. It’s tightly rolled and panfired resulting in a sweet mellow brew.

Have you tried roobius? Roobius (Aspalathus linearis) is an herbal tea and is naturally caffeine free. I sometimes brew it for the spouse.

Get out of your black-tea rut and experience some of the various flavors that other teas can bring to your palate. There’s a whole other world of tea flavor awaiting youl

green-tea field

Some folks just want to be more self sufficient or at least try to see how self sufficient they could become. After all, our grandparents didn’t just run to the store for anything and everything. They ate what they produced OR they traded something they produced for other goods.

You find some folks growing a little Nicotiana Sylvestris (A wild tobacco) around here, and I’ve even noticed in the nearby college town there’s a hookah bar where they
an Herbal shisha in their pipes. (Or so I’ve heard.)

Seems very 60’s to me.

That garden was kept when I still had kiddos at home. When I finally gave up the formal vegetable garden, I gifted my big old honkin’ tiller to my Dad.

He loves it and still uses it to this day.

Whenever I visit, I’m blown away by his garden, the lushness, the vitality and it makes me want to squeeze time into my busy day to grow food, and flowers, and ornamentals.

Only the area where the garden once was, and where water lines are run to, is now overrun with grasses and weeds (I live in the country.)

First things first. In order to start my own garden up again, I need a new tiller.

Tillers have come a long way since that big monstrosity I once had. Today’s garden tillers range from small lightweight models that anyone can handle, to big rototillers made for big jobs (big gardens). You can even find electric models! Perfect for folks that have trouble cranking the gas variety. There’s front tines and rear tines and lots of choices.

If you’re tillerless like me, and in the market, you’ll need to do your homework to find the best tiller for you and your situation. Learn more about garden tillers at BestGardenTillers.com

potatoes