I’ve written about lavender before (see post 12th August 2020) but at this time of the year you really can’t have too much of a good thing!
As well as producing beautiful flowers – the sight of which is enough to instil a sense of tranquility – simply brushing your fingers along a stem of lavender flowers releases the magical fragrance, encouraging a sense of calm, ‘de-stress’ and peace. Simone de Beauvoir once wrote:
“I am thinking of the lavender in my garden. It is like drinking a glass of cold water when you are really thirsty.”
That feeling of well-being can be captured and enjoyed long after the garden lavender blooms have faded and summer is just a distant memory. Dried lavender is wonderful for refreshing wardrobes and cupboards, for scenting an airless room or for conjuring up a refreshing cup of tea.
Lavender for household use is best picked just before the first flowers are fully opened. Snip long stems and dry them by spreading them in a single layer on a cloth somewhere warm and dry. You can also hang the stems in small bunches indoors – as they dry they will release their magical fragrance. After about three weeks, rub the stems gently over a tray and gather the dried flowers. Use in pot pourri or dainty lavender sachets.
Soaps and toiletries have long featured lavender due to its cleansing and antibacterial properties. Before the days of deodorant products the Elizabethans would use dried lavender in laundry to absorb stale smells. After washing clothing it might be spread on lavender bushes to dry in the days before tumble dryers.
Smoothing a little lavender oil on the forehead can relieve headaches and stress – after breathing in its intoxicating scent a sense of contentment pervades your whole being. Lavender soothes but stimulates; it relaxes and refreshes. Breathing in this wonderful fragrance calms the mind, helps recover hope and optimism and makes the world seem a more promising place.
In the days before housework was a daily task made simple with modern appliances, lavender was one of the herbs used for strewing when reeds and rushes would be scattered on floors to absorb dirt and detritus from everyday living. Modern cleaning techniques mean that such measures are no longer necessary but a carpet sprinkled with lavender can make a room smell fresh and delightful. Simply grind two cups of dried lavender together with two cups of soda and four teaspoons of ground clove and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture on a carpet, leave it for about an hour and then vacuum up to leave the room smelling sweet and cleansed.
This effort may leave you feeling in need of a cup of tea – simply brew a tablespoon of dried lavender in hot water for about five minutes, add honey to sweeten, if desired, and then relax and enjoy with this little gem from the 19th century American novelist and poet Myrtle Reed :
“It always seems to me as if the lavender was a little woman in a green dress, with a lavender bonnet and a white kerchief. She’s one of those strong, sweet, wholesome people, who always rest you, and her sweetness lingers long after she goes away.”
May that sentiment make you smile and refresh your day too…
