Virginia McNaughton. Lavender: The Grower's Guide. Timber Press. 2000.

Lavender is a favorite herb or flowering plant for many gardeners. Some simply enjoy its lovely scent while other utilize it in various projects. Still others associate it with their Grandmother or favorite female relative that used "lavender water" as beauty item. As I write this article, I can almost smell the wonderful lavender scent drifting up to my window from my little lavender patch ...

"General Cultivation" discusses the proper soils, fertilizing and pruning methods for the various Lavandula species. From reading this chapter, it appears that there is at least one lavender variety for every type of gardening. The author gives precise instructions on transplanting them from the nursery pot to your garden.

The section called "Propagation" is only three pages long but it gives all the information you need to successfully propagate these plants either from cuttings or from seed. "Pests and Diseases" is unfortunately, always a necessary topic in any plant book. Frankly, I was surprised to learn how many problems lavender can suffer from. My little patch has grown for several years without any problems.

"The Botany of Lavender" discusses the anatomy of these plants in detail. The author does an outstanding job of both describing and defining what each part of the lavender flower is. For instance, when discussing peduncles (stalk bearing the flower inflorescence), she talks about the thickness, color, presence or absence of hairs and length of this one part. She is equally thorough in discussing the leaves and lavender flowers. Her illustrations are the best I've ever seen in a book intended for home gardeners.

The next main book section discusses the "History, Classification and Lavender Species". She is very thorough in explaining the classification so that every person can understand. I really appreciate this in a good quality plant book. Since there are over 30 species comprising the Lavender genus, the author breaks the genus down into sections of similar plants. The necessary details are clear and easy to understand. The superb illustrations help to clarify the text.

Now that the species have been covered, the author dedicates separate sections to the cultivars of Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula x intermedia, Lavandula lanata x Lavandula angustifolia, and finally, those of Lavandula stoechas. A few remaining cultivars are covered in a section called "Other Lavenders".

The final section of this book discusses lavender growing around the world. It makes me wish I lived in a warmer climate where I could grow more than just a few hardy varieties of these delightful plants. However, no matter where you reside, this book is for you. It doesn't matter if you simply enjoy lavender in your perennial border or herb garden, or if you are a producer of lavender oil for the perfume industry. The author's writing style complemented by outstanding photography makes this a must-have book for every gardener.