Oct 4

Written by: Sandra Simpson
10/4/2006 5:47 AM

I love the change of season, especially from summer to fall. I know it is a gradual transition but every year it seems as if it happens overnight. One morning I go outside and there it is; the air has gone from heavy and humid to light and brisk. My six-year-old lazy golden retrievers have turned into jumping, running puppies again and my family starts to debate over which are best, pecan pies or pumpkin pies. The verdict is still out for me, that way I get to have both. At first sight of the pumpkins and mums at the grocery stores, family farms, and garden centers, I start to wonder what my scarecrow will look like this year.
In addition to selecting just the right pumpkins and making our annual scarecrow, autumn is when I decide how to use the lavender I have accumulated (hoarded) and plant new lavender for the next year’s harvest. After all, lavender is something you can’t have too much of; “lavender goes both ways”, so to speak. It is an herb that can be added to food and the aroma is used as a scent in everything from soap to sachet. Luckily, finding lavender is not a problem for those of us that live in North Carolina. There are several garden gurus that I look to for a plentiful supply of lavender buds, creative ideas for cooking and decorating with the herb, and starting my very own lavender garden.
Sunshine Lavender Farm in the Schley community of northern Orange County (north of Hillsboro, N.C.) is the cream of the crop when it comes to growing and consuming lavender. Annie Baggett converted part of an old dairy farm she bought in October of 2000 into a lavender garden. In June of 2006 she celebrated her gardens 4th harvest. With more than 2,000 plants and 15 different lavender varieties, an early summer harvest ensures that Annie’s lavender-loving friends and clients will have the fall to enjoy cooking with lavender and making sachets, soaps and dried arrangements. The cool months are also the best time to put new lavender plants in the ground and care for the existing ones.
Lavender is a great plant for your garden. It repels moles, flies, mosquitoes, and deer do not care for it. Lisa Treadaway of The Little Herb House in Southern Wake County (on Holland Church Rd. just off Hwy 1010) has 75 plants growing along the sunny side of her horse barn. When planting lavender, Lisa says the plants do not like wet feet. Lisa and Annie recommend removing any wet soil from the roots as you remove the plant from the nursery container. Plant in dry and well drained soil or raised beds. Space plants 36” apart for good air circulation. To insure good drainage and proper pH, place the lavender plant just above a blend of small stone, lime, bone meal, and compost. If you can find them, oyster shells make great mulch (and a good conversation piece). The lavender likes the calcium from the shells and the white shells reflect sunlight and this helps to keep the beds dry. Small white pebbles also work as well as mulch. You should trim the each year’s buds and by your third year your lavender plant should have 1,000 stems.
Sound difficult? Tina Rimmer of Holly Springs assures me that it is not that difficult. She has grown lavender in the past. She makes lavender sachets for gifts, puts lavender sprigs on gifts, and makes lavender lemonade. For a relaxing bath Tina wraps lavender in a cheese cloth and lets it stand in her bath water. Just before bedtime, Tina lightly mists her bed and her daughters’ beds with her homemade lavender water. If you want to take a peak at some of Tina’s handy work, she has planted lavender at Holly Springs Middle School and tells me it is doing great. Once it is in the ground, established, and weed-free, lavender plants thrive on neglect.
As for me, I think I will use Annie’s Lavender Lady recipe for this year’s scarecrow and while the weather is great for planting. I think I will plant lots more lavender for years to come. I am going to need it so this Lavender Lady can make an appearance in all my future fall gardens.
Annie’s lady scarecrow as shown in the picture is filled with lavender, so she is very fragrant. But any stuffing will do; straw is always a good stand-by. Her pigtails, hands, and feet are “shucked” lavender bunches. For added pizzazz Annie added purple polk-a-dot flip flops (not in the photo). Her face is an upside-down bucket with rose petals for lips, green hickory nuts for eyes, and pinecone pieces for eyelashes.
For more information on planting, harvesting, and buying lavender products please see Annie’s website: www.sunshinelavenderfarm.com On Annie’s website you will also find information on the upcoming fall lavender planting and pruning clinic, October 14th, at the Hillsborough Farmers Market. Lisa Treadaway of The Little Herb House also sells lavender and can be reached through her website: www.littleherbhouse.com

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