L. x intermedia ‘Seal’ and Lavender in the Laundry Room

January 5, 2012

L. x intermedia ‘Seal’ and Lavender in the Laundry Room
Happy New Year

Here in southern Ontario, Canada we had the lovliest fall weather and I had some lavender plants in bloom well into November! Two fully mature L. angustifolias grow next to my south-facing front steps. They were loaded with flowers into November. A cousin visiting from out of province commented she loved running her hands through the flowers as she went up and down the stairs. Isn’t that why we have it?

One I enjoyed the most was L. x intermedia ‘Seal’. I found this plant for sale at Prince Edward County Lavender (PEC Lavender) in 2010. I had seen it growing at Norfolk Lavender in England and loved it there but had not seen for sale here. Now ‘Seal’ is a big plant when mature so I was careful to plant it where it could have lots of room. These larger varieties can take 4 years until they reach their full size and take several years for their first bloom. This is unlike the small L. angustifolia’s like ‘Lady’ or ‘Hidcote’ which bloom often in their first year. The ‘Seal’ plant should be nearly 1m (40″) tall and wide when fully grown. The foliage is a lovely grey-green and the flower stems nearly 40 cm long (16″). Our previous winter was very hard on the roses in my garden but this lavender came through it perfectly. So far the plant is dense with leaves, showing no sign of woody stems. It gets sun most of the day and is in a fairly new bed, with good soil and planted near some roses. “Lavender, The Grower’s Guide” by New Zealander Virginia McNaughton, says that the fragrance of the dried flowers often lasts for two years! I can hardly wait to have enough flowers to harvest.

I’m sorry I couldn’t find my photos of this plant but I’ll try and put them in the next blog.

Speaking of roses, the reason for my lack of blogs this fall was due to the Canadian Rose Society. For a reason I have yet to sort out in my head, I became the President at the AGM earlier this year. I was already doing their publications and this last fall put my first “Annual” together. I enjoyed the process but it consumed a lot of time and energy. Today, I am getting thier December newsletter in the mail! However, I thought I’d indulge in some ‘me’ time this afternoon and I thought – “What would I like to do?”

Laundry
Housework has never been my forte but I do enjoy laundry. I find it a rewarding task. You end up with nice clean clothes and any ironing makes things crisp and new. I love ironing pillow cases and dish towels. With the help of my precious cat, Katie, who loves leaping on the bed when sheets are being changed, the bedding went into the machine. The powdered detergent I added was a gift from a friend that came from “Williams Somona” and is lavender scented. I don’t know if they make it any more because I’ve had this for a few years – it takes so little and I’m not usually washing anything that is really dirty.

One of my other favorites is from Bleu Lavande in Quebec. They make a lovely liquid lavender laundry soap. I have had trouble with some detergents giving me terrible rashes, so I have to be careful what I use if it is for washing clothing, but this has not given me any trouble. Again, you don’t need to use very much so the bottle lasts a long time.

Lavender essenial oil has some antibacterial and antifungal effects and can be put right into the washing machine but there are a few precautions to take. If you put it into the machine onto dry clothes, it may discolor the fabric. It is better added into water already in the machine. You will not neccessarily have any lasting scent but it will help get rid of bacteria. Tea tree oil is better for dust mite control.

What about the dryer? You can purchase lavender scented sheets or even pouches containing dried lavender flowers. You can make your own dryer sachets with dried lavender flowers from your garden enhanced with at little lavender oil. Not owning a dryer I have never done this, but I understand if you put a few drops of lavender oil on a scrap of fabric and put into the dryer this makes a simple dryer sheet.

Lavender Sprays.
You can make a very simple spray using approx 10 drops of lavender essential oil to one cup of distilled water. Use a glass botte as essential oils can discolor plastic bottles and metal spray bottles are not recommended for use with essential oils. Shake well before use and spray. The commercial clothing sprays seem to have a chemical fixative which helps the scent last longer on your fabrics.

Finally – Cats and Lavender Oil
I love the scent of lavender in the house, but it can be toxic to cats, so use it sparingly. Unless recommended by a health professional do not use lavender oil to treat any injuries on your cat or dog.

More about lavender in the house next time.

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