Lavender for All Seasons

A Gardener’s Guide to Growing and Creating with Lavender Year-Round

Everything you need to know about the basics of growing lavender in different climates and conditions, including how to maintain healthy plants; the best species and varieties; how to harvest and preserve the flowers; recipes and crafts for each season and information for growers who want to produce plants on a larger scale.

For thousands of years, cultures around the globe have harnessed the powerful properties of lavender. In ancient Egypt, lavender was used in the mummification process; in ancient Rome, dried lavender was scattered on the floors of field hospitals to deodorize and absorb fluids, and lavender scented the water in public bathhouses. Lavender is just as useful and captivating now as it was then, lending its scent to cleaning products, bath salts, soaps, and lotions, and in aromatherapy to induce relaxation. As a flower, it invokes a deep sense of calm. And with its lovely hues of purple and pink, lavender is an incredible accent in the garden. Plus, it makes a fragrant cut display bunched in vases indoors or used in dried arrangements.

Lavender for All Seasons is an essential guide to growing and using lavender year round, with information for gardeners on growing lavender in many different hardiness zones (including harsher climates), how to care for lavender plants to keep them looking beautiful and healthy for years to come, and tips for using lavender in recipes and crafts across every season.

“This special book is at once a generous and welcoming guide, definitive text, fascinating plant biography, and joyous love story. In these gorgeous pages a multi-talented author writes about the multi-talented plant she adores and knows so well, and you can’t help but come away with both the desire and ability to bring more lavender into your life in all sorts of ways. I’m now inspired to plant a whole new area of mainly lavender for our bees.”

– Lauren Springer, plantswoman, designer, and author

Paola Legarre’s small-scale, high-intensity farm is a biodiverse paradise of medicinal and culinary herb crops, cut-flower gardens, heirloom vegetables, and a cherry orchard. For over twenty years she has been implementing sustainable farming practices, nourishing soil life, avoiding herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, rotating plantings with cover crops, and encouraging pollinators and beneficial insects through diversified plant hedgerows, and companion planting. With Legarre as an expert guide, readers will discover:

• The basics of growing lavender in different zones and conditions, and how to select the right plants for your climate
• Growing requirements for healthy plants, including advice on pruning, pest control, propagation, and other ecological cultivation strategies
• An array of the best lavender varieties including species and cultivars for cooking, essential oils, crafting, landscaping and more
• Incorporating lavender as a key pollinator plant in the garden, and how to extend bloom time by planting many different species and varieties
• How to harvest and preserve lavender flowers for multiple uses, including techniques for drying and distilling
• In-depth planting information for professional growers seeking to produce on a larger scale
• Enjoying the harvest with delicious recipes incorporating lavender as an essential herb in the kitchen
• Step-by-step, simple, and rewarding craft projects incorporating lavender in every

© Photos in Book by Ken Redding