Relaxing at home.

Katie enjoying the new garden chair. She is on a harness.

Last night I had a great time with the folks of the Swansea Horticultural Society. They invited me to speak about lavender and there was a lot of interest as the seats were full and the questions excellent.

What a nice group!

My new BF Beverly called me a few weeks ago to organise my visit and not only did we talk about lavender but our cats! Last night I met a lovely woman with a cat called ‘Larry’. (Trust me to remember the cat’s name and not his owner’s.) She told us how her son and husband brought this fluffy grey kitten home and how she wanted no part of him. Quickly that changed as his personality worked it’s magic and Larry is now a valued family member and an excellent snuggling companion when you are not feeling well.

My own precious ‘Princess Katie’ was adopted from ARK, a Peterborough, Ontario rescue group. I can’t explain it, but this cat was meant to live with me. She was 1 1/2 years when she joined me and originally would only drink bottled water – hence her name ‘Princess”.

Thank you to everyone at Swansea for an enjoyable evening. If you live in that area of Toronto and would like to join a garden society, check them out. Information about Ontario horticulture societies is available at www.gardenontario.org.

Lavender Seeds.

Have you started tomatoes from seed? I consider those easy.

Lavender is a little trickier but not difficult. If you have never started seeds before, I wouldn’t start with lavender. L. angustifolias usually do not bloom until their second year. L. a. ‘Lady’ will bloom the first year from seed but you need to start it early – like now. Lavender started from seed will have some variation in flower color. If you have your heart set on a nice dark purple lavender, you are better to purchase plants already in bloom.

The larger L. x intermedia’s are sterile and do not produce seeds, so you can only purchase plants.

Lavender seeds are a little slow to germinate and to grow. Always use a sterilised potting mix to help avoid a disease called ‘damping off’, which will quickly kill off your seedlings.

There will be directions on the seed package letting you know how much soil to cover the seeds with. If you have a system where you can provide bottom heat, lavender seed appearantly like it. However, I have never used it. Once the seedlings begin to germinate, move into a sunny window, or under lights and grow as you would any other seeds. They need good light ot they can look stringy and weak. I find the only challenge with lavender is when the seedlings are a couple of inches tall. Do you transplant them to give them more space? They are more fragile than tomatoes at this point, so if you haven’t planted the seeds too close together, I would leave them until their roots have developed more fully and the seedlings look robust.
Eventually you will need to separate the plants and put them in larger containers. I would mix some horticulture sand with the potting mix at this point to help with drainage. When the outdoor temperatures are above freezing, day and night, you can begin to move the plants outside. Any plants that have been in the house, or in a greenhouse need to be “hardened off” (gradually aclimatised to outdoor light) gradually. If you put them directly outside in the sun, they will burn and die. You need to find a sheltered spot in your garden with dappled light and gradually accustom them to full sun.

I often leave my seedlings in containers well into the summer before moving them to their permanent home in the garden. Remember, while lavender is popular because it is drought tolerant, new plants need water. If they wilt, they will have trouble recovering.

Where can you buy seeds? Here are a few sources to get you started.
Vesey’s Seeds www.veseys.com
Richter’s Herbs www.richters.com
Renee’s Garden www.reneesgarden.com

If you have any questions about starting seeds, please ask.

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.

L. angustifolia 'Royal Velvet' flower

L. angustifolia 'Royal Velvet'

If you haven’t planted any lavender plants you have bought this year, please do it now. For some reason, lavender does not like to be planted late in the season and may not survive the winter if you don’t get it in the ground soon.

Prune your lavender after blooming.

What a super year for my garden lavender. Our summer has been hot and dry and the lavender has finished it’s first bloom. Most of the lavenders in my garden are L. angustifolia’s. These are relatives of the original wild lavender found in the Provence region of France. Today, many of the lavender farms grow L. x intermedia’s. These are hybrids of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia. The hybrids are large, producing a much larger crop of flowers than L. angustifolia, but for fine perfumes, soaps and aromatherapy, L. angustifolia is usually perferred for it’s rich, clean scent.

There are quite a few L. x intermedia’s available for your garden, but they mature to a large size, requiring plenty of space – often 3 – 4 square feet for a mature plant. They also take 3 -5 years to fully mature. L. angustifolias usually mature at 3 years. The L. x intermedia’s also bloom a few weeks later than the L. angustifolia’s. The photo appearing at the top of my blog was taken near Sault in France. These flowers are of a L. x intermedia, but sorry, I don’t know the name of it. The large flower spikes in the blue – grey color are typical of this group. Some of the varieties you will find are called ‘Grosso’, ‘Provence’ and ‘Silver Edge’. L. x intermedia’s also come in white, but not pink.

If you haven’t already done so, remove all the flowers that have finished blooming from your lavender. The L. angustifolia’s should rebloom. This is a good time to cut the plants back as well. Do not cut them back into the brown woody growth, just to where you seen healthy green growth, with leaves still on the stem.

How to dry your lavender for cooking or crafts.

Watch your lavender as the buds develop their color. When the first few flowers on the stalk are open, this is the time to harvest your ‘crop’. I always cut the stalk as long as possible, tying small bunches together, then hanging them upside down to dry in a place that is out of direct sun. Even if you are planning to strip the buds and flowers off the stalk, I always harvest this way. Keeping the flowers on the stalk gives you some versitility. You may need a little gift of a bunch of dry lavender for someone, or decide to make a wreath. If you only dry the flower heads, you have lost the versitility.

Using Fresh lavender flowers

This is a great time of year to sprinkle some fresh flowers on fruit, on cupcakes, in a salad, or in some tea. Use your imagination and enjoy your lavender.

Here are some photos and instructions for making a lavender wand. These wands are fun to make and it will only take you one or two to get the hang of them. Friends love getting them as gifts.

You will need: scissors, fresh lavender stalks with the flowers still attached and ribbon.

Start with a bundle of lavender

Photo 1 First, you need fresh lavender. You need the stems to bend without breaking. If you use dried lavender, the stems will break. For the weaving pattern to work, you need to work around an odd number of stems. I find it easier to weave 2 stems at a time. Start with cutting 18 stems. This will give you 9 sets of two stems each. (9 is your odd number)
Cut the stems at least 12” (100cm) long. You can adjust the length depending on how long you want the wand to be and how long your flower head is.
Carefully tie the bundle together as shown in picture 1. You will need a long piece of ribbon. When I tie my bundle I like to leave one end long and leave it with the flowers in the centre and weave around it. Then I have this end to make a bow when I tie off the weaving.

Photo 2

Photo 2 Carefully bend the lavender stalks down over the flowers as shown in the photo. Do not bend all the stems in the same direction. Bend them so they are fairly evenly spaced around the bundle of flowers. Because I will be weaving around 2 at a time, I bend two stalks together at a time. You must be careful not to break the stem.

Photo 3

Photo 3 Begin weaving the ribbon in and out of the stems. Keep your rows close together. This will get easier, the more wands you make. The fresh stems are quite elastic to bend and you will quickly gain confidence.

Photo 4

Photo 4 Continue weaving until you cover all the flowers.

Photo 5

Photo 5 When you have covered all the flowers, wrap the ribbon around the bottom and tie it, closing in the flowers.

Photo 6 You can wrap the remaining ribbon down the stem and tie a loop and a bow at the end of the stalks. Or you can make it very plain and simply tie a bow near the end of the stalks to hold them together.

Over the years as they lose their scent, you can refresh it by adding 3 -5 drops of lavender essential oil into the flowers through the top.

L. angustifolia 'Munstead'

The season is nearly upon us. The lavender fields will soon be in full bloom and I urge you to find a local festival and enjoy. Many offer you the opportunity to cut your own lavender. They will show you how and where to cut it and if you are nervous about pruning your lavender, this will give you much more confidence. It is a great way to stock up on lavender.

One of the largest is the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington State. I went a few years ago and loved it. Many of the lavender farms in the area put on special events and there are multiple craft shows. You will find products you never new existed containing lavender, but it is really the fields of blooming lavender that you go to see.

Winter Hardy L. angustifolia ‘Munstead’
In my part of Canada, choosing lavender that is winter hardy is a popular topic. One of the most winter hardy is L. angustifolia ‘Munstead’. It matures to around 12″ in height and is a good choice for the garden, and especially the rock garden. Lavender is technically a shrub and many varieties have a tendancy to produce woody stems and Munstead is very good at producing woody stems, so you must stay on top of pruning. I have noticed with my own plants, that every 2 or 3 years, it produced new growth from the base of the plant in the spring. This means I can remove all the woody stems and the plant re-grows from the base. Most lavenders will NOT do this, but Munstead seems to be an exception.

‘Munstead’ produced blooms at the tip of the stem, just a cluster of blooms. Many of the plants are started from seed and this results in variations in color, from light mauves, to darker purples. The photo here is a beautiful ‘Munstead’ that was for sale at Bleu Lavande, which is a beautiful lavender farm nearly 2 hours south of Montreal, Quebec. The flower here is nearly white, with a darker edge!

Remember, when planting your lavender choose a site with at least 5 hours of direct sun and good drainage. If you are not sure about the drainage, dig a bigger hole and mix the soil with sand. Finally – plant the lavender as soon as you get it home. For some reason, lavender planted after mid-July has a lower chance of surviving the first winter.

My L. angustifolias all have buds now and I hope you will soon be enjoying your lavender.

Early spring

New growth at the base of a lavender plant

Finally – the topic I am asked the most about. When do I prune my lavender? There are a few times a year you can do it and this is one of them. The other time is after the first bloom. If you live in a climate milder than my zone 5-6, you can probably prune in the fall but if you live where winter is severe, fall pruning is not recommended.

First, you are not going to prune young plants. If you bought them last year and they were in 4” pots, they will not need pruning. Perhaps a little shaping but that is all. I had two lavenders in the garden that looked dead until this morning when I spied some green growth on them. If you have some plants that still look dead, leave them alone for another month.

Second, have a good look at the plant and make sure there is new growth. Ideally you will cut the plant back to 2/3rds of its current size. But you must see fresh growth below the cuts you are making.

L. angustifolia ‘Munstead’
This is a wonderful plant and very winter hardy. It does tend to grow to nearly a foot, (30cm) in height, then branch out and the growth quickly becomes ‘woody’. However, if you look closely, you will often see new green growth coming from the base of the plant and that is not common with all lavender varieties. I have found that every couple of years, my ‘Munstead’ needs to be cut right back to this growth at the ground. This means I am taking off far more than 2/3 of the plant and often removing most of it. Do not do this if you don’t see plenty of new growth.

And that really is all there is to it!

After your lavender flowers, remove the flowers, stalks and a bit of the stem with leaves and shape the plant again. It is very forgiving and as long as you have not removed too much and you make sure there is new green growth below the cut you make, your lavender should keep going.

Why should you prune? Lavender is a shrub. If you do not keep it trimmed it will produce long ‘woody ‘stems. These stems do not always produce new green growth and you can eventually end up with a plant that is all stems and a little green at the top. Pruning regularly will give you a healthier plant that will live in your garden longer.

The snow finally seems to be gone for good and my lavender plants are starting to “green up”. I’m having a hard time believing that spring is really here because this winter seemed so long. I heard on the radio the other day that the temperature today is supposed to be nearly 15C and the last time it was that warm was October! It is tempting to start pruning your lavender, but wait just a bit longer. It really is too early to tell what really has died. You really need to see quite a bit of green growth on the plant before you start pruing. At this time of year, it is easy to remove a plant you think has died, but it might just be slow to start.

If you are looking for a wonderful ‘fix’ of lavender, mark the Sequim Lavender Festival on your calendar. This year the dates are July 15-17. Sequim is located at the northern edge of Washington State (nearly directly south of Vancouver Island). The Olympic Mountains are nearby and give you lots to see in the area. The lavender farms put their best forward for the festival and the community gives it full support with lots of other events. For details check out the website: www.lavenderfestival.com

Vegetable Gardening Books

I know my blog is about lavender, but it’s also about my garden and I do like to tuck in vegetables, especially tomatoes and pop out to the garden for something fresh. Here are some books for gardening in the city that I’m enjoying.

Incredible Edibles. 43 Fun Things to Grow.
Don’t let the title fool you, this easy to read book is full of serious advice. Sonia Day, who lives 1 1/2 hours north west of Toronto, writes from experience and recommends only what has worked for her. The book begins with “The Ten Commandments of Growing Food in the City”. This section contains all the basics; improving soil, keeping critters away. She suggests growing varieties that do well in the city – compact, dwarf and climbing varieties. She is not a fan of growing broccoli, cabbage and cauliflowers as they attract pests that are hard to get rid of. Most of the book gives a detailed look at her 43 suggestions. With good photos, taken of her own plants, and solid advice, it is easy to see why this is a best seller.

The Vegetable Gardeners Container Bible
I’ll confess I haven’t read the entire book, but have jumped around in it. I love this book. Everything is well explained and there are detailed step-by-step photo instructions where needed. Part one is about growing in containers, how to choose them and choose soil.

Part two is about buying plants and starting seeds. Part three is information about the plants. the author is a fan of “self-watering” containers and gives details on how to make your own and the importance of keeping plants well watered. I think this is where I have had trouble and why some of my veggies have not turned out as well as I expected. If you are new to vegetable container gardening, this is the book for you.

City Farmer
After reading an article about Toronto author Lorraine Johnson I decided to pick up this book. I thought it was more of a “how to” book, but in fact it examines ways urban residents in North America are embracing the concept of growing their own food. She examines projects in cities like Brooklyn, New York and Detroit, Michigan, where groups grow produce on either vacant land or in containers on asphalt as businesses, or for low income families. I had no idea there was a balcony gardening project in St. James area of Toronto that helps people grow food on their balconies. There is some practical advice such as how to keep chickens in the city, how to compost and how to plant your boulevard. I have to admit I had trouble putting this book down.

Next time “Munstead” Lavender – one of the most popular lavender varieties. I’ll tell you everything you need to know to grow this wonderful variety.

I’m sorry it has been a while since my last entry. I edit (meaning I write most of them) newsletters for 2 garden societies and they co-incided this month and life got a little away from me.

One of my seed starting delays has been the dilemma of where to put them. The dining room has a hot south-facing window which I use if there are just a few seeds to start, especially tomatos. The location is easy for me to check them so they don’t dry out. The directional light means the seedlings need to be turned regularly to keep them growing straight. The other choice is a light-stand in the basement. It is in the furnace room and I have to really think about going in there and watering plants. After the first week I usually remember and get a routine going. Now that I see how many seeds I’m planning to start, the light stand in the basement has won.

Lavender seeds are not difficult, but they do go through a sort of gangley stage and I find that is when I tend to lose them. They are not as solid as tomatoes either and when you are separating them, you have to handle them carefully.
Be aware that most varieties will not bloom the first year from seed. If you start L. a. ‘Lady’, sometimes called ‘Lavender Lady’ fairly soon, it may bloom this year. Most will bloom the second year.
Lavender hybridises quite easily and the plants you grow from seed will not be uniform in color. There will be light and dark purples so if you are looking for a specific color then purchase a plant in bloom.
Finally, L. x intermedias like ‘Grosso’ and ‘Provence’ are sterile and do not produce seeds. You will have to purchase plants.

You will need sterile seed-starting mix and clean containers. Seedlings are prone to a fungus, commonly called ‘damping off’. One day you have healthy seedlings and within a few days you have nothing. Starting with everything clean really helps. I’ll have more about ‘damping off’ next time.

Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Try not to use a container more than 4 -5″ tall. Otherwise, the soil at the bottom will stay too wet and increase the chance of disease with your seedlings. What about the seed-starting trays with the little compartments? I like those for my tomatoes and eggplants, in short, the larger seeds. They grow quickly, tend to be sturdy seedlings and grow roots that use up the water in the cell. They will also tolerate a little over-watering. For the smaller seeds I prefer to plant the seeds in a container with more surface area. This goes with delphinium seeds as well.
It is just me, but I think the water can be distributed uniformly and the seedlings have more of a chance if a little too much water goes in one part of the container. If you water the cells from above, you can easily know over the little seedlings. Now that I’m writing this, I think I will start some lavender in the cell pack and only water from below and see what happens. What is your experience?

Then just follow the directions on the seed package regarding depth of planting.

“Canada Blooms”, our premier garden show starts on Wednesday March 16th and concludes Sunday March 20. Last year the show moved to the “Direct Energy Center” which is all on one level and I preferred. Parking there is convenient and I like to pay the little extra and park underground. That way any shopping can be taken to the car. It is also very easy to get to via the GO Train, as there is a stop right at the building. Go to the www.CanadaBlooms.com and look under “festival information” for the speakers’ list.

I make the trek downtown several times and plan my visits to the show around the speakers. Then I have my favorite shopping stops (GardenImport usually has begonias and other bulbs a little off their catalogue price and you save the shipping.) If you need a special arbor or trellis, look for “Metalscape”. Doris will custom-make practically anything metal for your home or garden. She has made me a lovely small pergola-type structure that I originally needed for climbing miniature roses. The roses didn’t climb quite the way I had imagined, so it now cradles clematis. One of my friends came up with a design for a large metal hoop for clematis and Doris made them for us.

For those of us in Toronto, this show always tells us that spring is just around the corner. Yipee

PS You can subscribe to my blog by using the ‘subscribe’ button on the top of this page.

L. angustifolia 'Lavender Lady' seedlings

Picture southern France – hot and sun-baked in the summer and we all know by now that lavender needs plenty of sun. That was one mistake I didn’t make. My lavender had plenty of sun.

Resolution 1
I’m going to pay more attention to the space I give the plant. When you purchase a new plant in a 4″ pot, you forget the plant will need several feet (60 cm) of space around it. I lost several plants because they were crowded among other plants.

Resolution 2
I tend to buy new lavender plants when I see a variety I don’t have because I’m afraid I won’t see them again. This year I am only going to purchase plants that I KNOW I have room for.

Resolution 3
While I think the drainage in my garden is good and lavender-friendly, I am not going to take any chances this year. Any lavender plant going in the garden will have horticultural sand added to the soil.

Resolution 4
Prune the plants. The two plants that were crowded out had not been pruned regularly. If I’d pruned them that year, I would have seen they neede more space.

Resolution 5
Start lavender seeds early and pay more attention to them. I have a 3 tiered light stand, but I also have a large south-facing window. Last year I started them in the window. I only started a few seeds of 2 varieties, but in April, I was distracted by the passing of my favorite aunt and I lost all my seedlings. I’m leaning toward starting them in the window again, because it is easier for me to check them regularly.

Check back next week and hopefully I’ll share how I started them and have lots of instructions for you.
Are you looking for lavender seeds? Check out www.veseys.com. or www.richters.com

Lavender is not hard to grow from seed, but because it hybridises easily, there can be quite a variation in the flower colors.

All for now.

This beautiful lavender was growing near the bus stop on Jersey Island

January 2011

Winter is just getting underway and already I can’t wait until spring. Our first snow has melted and I can see all my lavender plants just resting in the garden wearing their grey winter foliage. I added a few new varieties and I hope they will make it through the rest of the winter.

I’m going to change this blog’s topic from L. latifolia to using lavender in a few winter recipes. One of the pleasures last summer was visiting a variety of lavender farms and picking up unique offerings at each. Christmas Eve, 2010 I had company for lunch. I decided on scallop potatoes as one of the dishes and picked up Yukon Gold potatoes. At Prince Edward County Lavender I picked up their herbal blend “Herbs de Provence” blend and at Five Sisters of Lavender Lane on Prince Edward Island, bought thier “Lavender Sea Salt”. My cousin told me my great aunt used to put cream of mushroom soup in her dish to add flavor for the potatoes and below is what I did.

Scalloped Potatoes
You will need:
9″ square pyrex dish
3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 can Cream of Mushroom soup
4 tablespoons of milk or cream
Herbs de Provence
Lavender Sea Salt (regular salt is fine)
2 tablespoons of butter

Spray the dish with ‘no-stick cooking spray’
Slice the potatos fairly thinly – 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick

Blend sour cream, mushroom soup and 2 – 3 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence.

You will be doing 3 layer of potatoes.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the dish.
Spread 1/2 of the sour cream, soup, herb blend on the potatoes.

Layer the next 1/3 of the potatoes.
Spread the rest of the sour cream, soup, herb blend mix and the butter
Pour the milk over the layer.

Layer the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with Lavender Sea Salt to taste.

I don’t use a lot of salt when I cook and the soup has salt in it, so we found it salty enough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F and cook covered for about 1 hour or until done.

Roast Vegetables with Lavender Honey
This year I did carrots and parsnips. They were sliced and par-boiled.
A baking dish was sprayed with a non-stick spray. Put vegetables in the dish.
Spoon lavender honey on them to taste. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and cook for about 45 minutes, turning once.

Lavender Jelly
If you purchased any this summer, winter is a great time to use on warmed store-bought scones. Or try serving it as a condiment with lamb.

Next time: Lavender Resolutions for 2011