Growing Lavender: How to grow lavender in your herb garden.For a novice gardener or seasoned pro, growing lavender is one of the easiest grown herbs in a small garden. When selecting herbs for creating exquisite garden designs, English lavender is a hardy evergreen perennial with dominant shades of blue-green foliage. The herb looks lovely in rock gardens, on top and beside stone walls; lavender will spread and grow luxuriantly. In recorded histories passed down to us, the ancients adored growing lavender for its intense sweet scent. The stimulating aroma was discovered a cure for dizziness centuries ago. A plant seen growing wild on Mediterranean hillsides, its numerous varieties are widely cultivated as ornamentals and borders. French and Spiked lavender are perennials and have gray-green leaves. For grouping contrasting colors, True lavender has pale to deep blue blossoms, while the spiked variety blossom in a mauve to purple color. A great many fragrant herbs grow in practically any garden soils that are suitable for raising vegetables. The majority of popular grown herbs are trouble free from most plant diseases and pests, especially when the plants are not overcrowded. The lavender plant is known for attracting honeybees, which is a plus for successful gardening. 
Plant beautiful lavenders in sunny, dry places. It is a good idea to keep the perennials separate from the other herbs so as not to disturb the growing lavender when planting the annuals. Similar to the herb gardens of colonial times, plant as near your home as possible for convenient harvesting. The herbs not only add fragrance but beauty to the landscape even before they end up as perfumes, soaps, herbal tobaccos, and scented sachets. Several varieties of the fragrant herbs can be easily grown indoors as well as outside. Place window boxes in a sunny location and turn the box occasionally so the growing lavender gets plenty of sunshine. Follow the general rules of successfully caring for houseplants, which is sufficient light, moisture, and fresh air. Prepared potting soil mixed with sand is a good starting mix for growing lavender. When regular loom is used, mix three parts with one part sand and one part fertilizer. Young outdoor plants, during cloudy weather, require less watering than on bright days. In the beginning, the plant may seem temperamental, but not to worry, lavender seed germinates slowly. As the growing season winds down, give seedlings less water. Plants purchased from the nursery may be set out early in the spring after all frost danger is past. Rooted cuttings can also be set out at this time. For easier weeding, set the growing lavender fifteen inches apart in rows separated by at least a foot. Preventing the herbs from blossoming the first years allows the herb to grow bushy and lush. The lavender plant if protected from cold and dampness, will not winterkill even in the northern climates. Under extreme weather conditions, it is better to bring the plants inside. As the buds begin to open, the flowering tops are cut and put on a screen with a white cloth stretched across. Dry the tops in the shade and the flowers will easily strip from the stems by hand. Lavender may also be dried in cheesecloth hung in a shady place. Store dried flowers in an airtight container until ready to use. Lavender oil is produced by distilling immediately after harvesting without drying. Its uses as essential oils include infusions in cough suppressants and to treat headaches.
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