I have many sterling qualities but a gardener, I ain’t. Compared to Miss Laura, Cousin Joyce and my friend, Kerry, my thumb is withered and brown. The saddest part is that the urge to grow things is in me, kind of like a bizarre, ticking biological clock with no hope of fulfillment. Also, I feel a certain responsibility toward the little church to make it look pretty and summery and, well, to keep up with the other sweetly landscaped properties in our area. Each spring I puff myself up with ideas from Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Canadian Living and other publications where ‘Perfect Garden People’ can be found. This year is no exception. This year, I want Lavender.

My research tells me that lavender can be grown quite easily in Prince Edward County owing to its dry, rocky soil and hot sun. The nice lady at Reddick Studio Porcelain, who is something of a gardening guru, says that “lavender thrives on neglect”, which tells me I might have a shot at it.

But how to do it? Do I buy seeds? Do I buy plants? I can’t remember seeing lavender plants for sale while buying any of my other victims, so I consulted Prince Edward County Lavender, a mother-lode of information and support. They sell seeds, baby plants and all kinds of lavender products, even (and this makes me swoon) Lavender Honey!

Lavender is just about my favorite scent. It’s the go-to when I’m shopping for hand soap, air freshener, candles etc. I’ve long been a fan of Crabtree & Evelyn and have recently become addicted to two particular products: Lavender Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy and the Lavender Eau de Toilette. And…fun fact for my Canadian peeps…select items from the hand therapy line are now available at Rexall. Brilliant!

This superbly creative lady uses lavender (and other esoteric flavorings gathered from the four corners of the globe) for baking. Diary of a Mad HausFrau is a blog well worth reading.

Though I’ve never used lavender in cooking (which apparently you can) I did make little jars of Lavender and Sweet Almond Bath Scrub for my Christmas baskets this year. Here is a simple recipe using ingredients that can easily be found at drug stores and health food stores. I have a feeling I’ll use this to soak out the kinks after gardening. ‘Cause you know, I’m so good at it…

Lavender & Sweet Almond Bath Salts

2 cups Dead Sea salts

2 cups lavender epsom salts

1 cup Kosher salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

750 ml bottle of sweet almond oil

1/2 cup lavender buds

Several drops of lavender essential oil (to your taste)

The Dead Sea salts I found were very coarse, so I mixed all of this up (except for the essential oil) in my food processor. I picked up some cute little sealer jars at the dollar store, trimmed the jars with 1/4″ lavender double-sided satin ribbon and…Huzzah! Makes a nice hostess gift, too 😉