Legarre tells us which cultivar suits which region, using USDA hardiness ratings. Publishers want international appeal, which can mean local differences are overlooked. In the UK, the lavender fields of Surrey are famous as a visitor attraction and the Mediterranean plant thrives all round the country, as it does in more and more nations worldwide, thanks to a warming climate.
The author recommends universal favourite angustifolia for hardiness. Stoechas is still frost hardy, while pterostoechas is more delicate. Cultivars suggested include the ubiquitous ‘Hidcote Pink’.
What is all-embracing is how to grow and care for lavender. You can harvest with a sickle — as has been done for centuries — band, hang, dry and strip the plants, which have many chemical qualities that are beneficial to human health.
Legarre tells us about the chemistry, the camphor compounds and how to distil essential oils using a separator. Uses are for cosmetics, culinary and oil. Commercial growers can add value themselves or sell from the farm to processors or retailers, who may use the plant for crafts such as making sachets, pot-pouri or flower arrangements.
Agritourism is another income source. Wreath-making workshops, cut your own and activities in the field such as painting or yoga are advocated.
Legarre set up her Sage Creations Farm 20 years ago and is good on how to grow the plant successfully, laying out spacing, proposing the use of weed fabric in the furrows between mounded beds and showing us how to propagate cuttings. Drip irrigation is worth considering in a drying climate for a plant that looks like it will become more commercial worldwide. This book shows how to make the most of that commerciality.
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