Lavandula Angustifolia
With 39 species to choose from I still choose English Lavender as my favourite. For lavender lovers everywhere, if you ask which is their favourite lavender species you are likely to get lots of different answers. We are definitely spoilt for choice.
Different Challenges in Different Places
When I lived in the UK I loved the challenge of growing lavenders that were deemed harder to grow.
In fact I have written about this in the article entitled Lavenders Blue, Pink and White where I describe lavenders I purchased and grew whilst living there.
Now that I am home in Perth Australia, I am living in a much warmer climate and I’m still deciding which ones to grow. I will be looking at what is available and how challenging I want my gardening exploits to be!
Is It truly English
Although this lavender species is called English lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) this is really a misnomer as it is not originally from England but the mountainous areas of northern Spain.
It can be seen in many suburban gardens near where I live and its pale lavender flowers and silvery grey foliage is a picture to behold, as I take my daily walk.
English Lavender’s Many Uses
It is the lavender of choice for cooking, but it does need to be bought from a reputable source to ensure it is pesticide and chemical free.
Organic culinary lavender should be readily available from organic and health food stores.
It is also available on-line through organic lavender sites; so no excuses for not trying out this lovely aromatic herb in your cooking.
Lavender Oil
English lavender is used as lavender essential oil in aromatherapy, in beauty products and also for medicinal purposes such as skin treatments. It still amazes me how many uses there are for the lovely lavender.
Growing Lavenders
This perennial thrives in a sunny spot where there is free draining soil. It is a hardy plant that is disease and pest resistant.
In Australia where we often have long hot dry summers, this plant proves its worth as it is drought resistant and an easy care plant once it is established in your garden.
Another alternative is growing lavenders in containers in a small space such as on a patio or balcony.
Popular Lavender of Choice
With its fragrant perfume, this lavender species is popular with most lavender lovers everywhere. I would love to hear what your favourite species of lavender is and what you love about it.
I plan to write more on different lavenders and your comments are most welcome. Keep enjoying this lovely aromatic herb and I’ll write more soon.
Related Articles
Tips on Growing Lavenders
Growing Lavenders in Containers
Favourite Gardening Tools
Return to Home Page from English Lavender
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Patricia
I didn’t realize there were 39 different species!
I do grow lavender in the garden but have no idea what species it is.
I used to love it when our dog used to run through it and it made him smell nice!
Andrew
Thanks for visiting my blog Andrew. Yes it is a surprise to many visitors to my blog how much information and how many species there are on the lovely lavender. I’m doing my best to get the information out there and hopefully as more people visit, more lavender lovers will spread the word too.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia~
!!
I get the lavender essential oil from true essence, I wonder what species they use? I never knew there was so much to know about Lavender
Hi Linda
There is heaps to learn. I am loving researching
and will be publishing more posts soon; one being o
lavender essential oil.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia….like Andrew, I had no idea there were 39 species of lavender. I also grow it in the garden – one of my favourite plants – but have no idea what species it is. I would love to hear more about how you use lavender in your cooking. I have only ever used it in aromatherapy oils.
Louise
There is so much to learn about the lovely lavender Louise. I first sampled a lavender Devonshire tea and it was delicious. I have also enjoyed lavender macaroons at a fancy french cafe here in Perth. The guy who makes them is a bit of a Celebrity Chef here now. There are heaps of lavender recipes out there and I am sourcing some at the moment and when I have tried them I will add them to my blog. Great to have you revisit. I will continue to research and write on this favourite of mine. I am meeting so many lovely lavender lovers as I blog. I am so enjoying being part of this blogging community.
Patricia Perth Australia
Hi Patricia, I love the smell of lavender but I don’t think I’ve ever tasted it cooked in a dish. I wonder if it would grow well in my area. Thanks for the info and the lovely pic.
Thanks so much for visitng and taking the time to comment Ileane. I have seen you on so many sites and know you are well respected in the bloggerluv community. I am just new to blogging so have heaps to learn. Loving being a part of the blogging community. If you let me know which zone you live in I can tell you what type of lavender will grow best in your area.
Here in Western Australia we have a Mediterranean climate so lavenders can be seen in most suburbs. They are all in flower at the moment.
Patricia Perth Australia
I visited your blog a number of times and always wondered after reading the post. Because I don’t know anything about Lavender (I guess it is not found in our part of world) I was silent till now.
I appreciate your SEO skills and the way you have optimized the post. I guess it will get a good ranking soon.
Hi Suresh
Thanks for being a regular visitor to my site. I appreciate that you took the time to comment. I hope to have lovely lavender products on my site shortly and lots more posts to write and publish so hope you will visit again soon. I appreciate your encouragement.
Patricia Perth Australia