When lavender blooms
Content:
It is quite difficult to confuse lavender with another plant - its heady and persistent aroma will not allow you to do this. This seemingly unprepossessing flower in mass plantings produces a simply stunning effect: from the bright, rich flowering and the aroma spreading for many kilometers around the district, it simply takes your breath away. It is not for nothing that during the period of active flowering of lavender, its fields are a real pilgrimage for tourists and photographers.
Lavender - a brief description of the species
Lavender is an evergreen plant belonging to the Labiaceae family. Under natural conditions in the wild, the plant prefers mountainous and hilly terrain, therefore lavender is often also called mountain.
Lavender fields are a fabulous sight
The leaves of the plant are grayish-green, oblong, and small flowers are collected in spikelets. The color of the flowers can be of different shades: from white to rich bright purple. Also, occasionally there are varieties with flowers of pink, blue, purple and even green.
Flowering lavender
When lavender is in bloom, its lingering and heady scent travels long distances. The fact is that the plant contains essential oils in abundance, thanks to which it retains a persistent aroma even after drying.
Lavender is rich in essential oils, therefore it is successfully used in cosmetology
Lavender blooms from June to late August. But if you want to enjoy this unforgettable sight and capture it in the brightest colors, then it is better to visit lavender fields at the very beginning of flowering. By the middle of summer, under the influence of the hot southern rays of the sun, the plant begins to lose the brightness of its shades and towards the end of summer it gradually begins to dry out. But all this time it exudes a fragrance.
How to extend the flowering period at home
To the question of how much lavender blooms, there is no definite answer - it depends on the climatic conditions and care for it. But in order for the plant to bloom longer, it needs to be fed during the season. During the flowering period, complex mineral fertilizers are used.
Features of growing a flower
Thanks to the appearance of more cold-resistant varieties, the geography of lavender growth has expanded significantly. But in order for the plant to please with its exuberant color in the country or plot, it is necessary to provide it with certain conditions. But the time and effort spent is more than worth it when the lavender blooms - it's worth it.
The plant retains a persistent aroma even when dried
Priming
For planting, it is best to select a plant rich in oxygen and potassium - impressive bushes are unlikely to grow without it. Be sure to remember that lavender does not tolerate overly compacted soils - they must pass air and moisture well. Therefore, loosening the soil near the plants, as well as removing weeds, is a mandatory procedure.
A place
For planting, you need open areas with as much sun as possible.
Watering
You need to be careful with this procedure - excessive moisture and its stagnation can cause rotting of the plant root system, and the plant itself turns yellow. But too dry growing conditions will not give you the opportunity to get a lush bush, and it will bloom for a long time.
Mulching
It will perfectly cope with weed control and moisture retention by mulching the soil around the growing lavender. Usually, decayed foliage or a multi-colored decorative substrate are used as mulch.
Pruning
This procedure is not mandatory, but the plant takes on a more decorative appearance if the faded inflorescences are cut off in time (the dried flower itself is cut off). Before the onset of winter, the garden plant is cut shorter, but not to the lignified part - this can cause its death
Reproduction
The plant propagates with seeds, cuttings or layering. The most important thing is to remember that it reacts very painfully to transplantation, so it is better to plant it immediately on a permanent place of growth, and if transplantation cannot be avoided, then it is better to do it directly with a clod of earth in order to less injure the root system
Preparing for winter
If the climate does not differ in harsh winters, then the plant will calmly overwinter under a natural snow shelter. But if winters are supposed to be harsh or with little snow, then it is better to cover the plant for the winter with spruce branches
Growing lavender requires certain conditions.
Where lavender grows in our latitudes
Since lavender is a thermophilic plant, it takes root well in the southern latitudes. Currently, certain varieties of lavender are also quite successfully grown in central Russia.
Useful properties and how the flower is used
Lavender, thanks to the essential oils it contains, has found wide application in the perfumery industry, in cosmetology and medicine. The main uses for lavender are:
- as a relaxing and cold remedy in the form of flower tea;
- as a remedy for headaches, insomnia and for relieving tension in the form of an essential oil, a few drops of which must be added to an aromatic lamp or to a hot bath;
- to add a delicate aroma to your clothes in the closet as a natural fragrance in the form of a sachet with plant petals;
- to combat mice and moths in the form of dried bouquets, laid out around the house and in dressers;
- as a spice in cooking, where the plant, fresh or dried and crushed, is added to various dishes;
But the most common use is as an ornamental plant that can decorate any garden. Lavender is great for living curbs, and its scent is able to ward off Colorado beetles.
Lavender is massively grown for industrial purposes: its essential oil is used for the production of cosmetics and perfumery products.
Lavender is massively grown for industrial purposes
Where to visit lavender fields during flowering
Lavender is a thermophilic plant, so it grows outdoors only in areas with warm and mild climates. Italy, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia can boast of incomparable lavender fields - here the flower is grown on a huge scale for industrial use.
And the most famous lavender fields are located in French Provence - it is here, in the south of France, that lilac lavender plantations of unimaginable beauty are located.
But in order to find yourself in a field where lavender grows, it is enough to visit Crimea.Thanks to the local climate, the plant is distributed throughout the peninsula, and the most colorful plantations are located in the following places:
- not far from Alushta, Gurzuf, Sevastopol;
- at the foot of Mount Demerdzhi - the village of Lavender;
- in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai - in the villages of Turgenevka, Kudrino, Rising, Zavetnoye, Shelkovichnoe;
- in Sevastopol - Uchkuevka, Andreevka;
- at Cape Tarkhankut - the village of Olenevka;
- in the Belgorod region, in the villages Tsvetochnoye and Aromatnoye;
- along the Simferopol-Sudak highway.
If you visit these places during the lavender bloom, you can get an unforgettable experience for years to come. This spectacle and special aroma is difficult to convey in words - you just need to see and breathe.
