There are few herbs in the world that bring people as much benefit and pleasure as lavender. That is why it has won our hearts for thousands of years. One could write about lavender for a long time. It is a truly versatile and enchanting herb.
The history of this beautiful, fragrant, healing and useful herb has been known since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians were well aware of its healing effects and knew how to extract essential oils from it using complex processes for their time, using them not only for medicines, perfumes and massage oils, but also for mummifying the bodies of the dead.
The intoxicating scent of this magical herb was also loved in ancient Greece, and from there its fame spread further across Europe. It probably became established in France around 600 BC, where it is still grown on a large scale today. French growers now face strong competition from Bulgaria, where it thrives.
The inhabitants of ancient Rome also revelled in the scent of lavender, adding lavender oil to their baths and using it to fragrance the air. The name "lavare", which we still use today, probably comes from them – in Latin it means "to wash". Lavender was also a popular ingredient in food and was used as a calming agent and as an insect repellent.
Lavender is not only beautiful and endowed with a distinctive, unmistakable fragrance. It is also a herb with a wide range of relaxing and healing properties. It can be used internally and externally. It helps treat digestive problems, headaches, sore throats, burns, eczema, acne and open wounds. A great and widely used property is the fact that it does not smell appealing to insects. So it is placed in wardrobes, beds or elsewhere in the home, where it also freshens the air. As already mentioned, it is also used in the kitchen. You can make a delicious tea from it (which helps with migraines) or a decoction, tinctures, oils are distilled from it, its flowers can be candied and sucked like sweets, and a delicious lavender syrup is made from it, which is very refreshing in the middle of summer.
There are more than 40 varieties of lavender; the most common flower colours are of course shades of purple, but white or pink are also common. The best-known variety is true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), which has a deep purple flower colour and can be used in cosmetics, pharmacy and the kitchen. Some varieties are suitable only for cosmetic purposes, such as Lavandula x intermedia "Grosso". Other interesting ones include crowned lavenders, or Lavandula dentata, and many others.
Growing lavender itself is not particularly demanding. It likes dry, well-drained (sandy or gravelly) soil. It loves sunny and airy positions. In case of heavy rain, it should be placed so that water can drain away. It can be grown from seed or vegetatively (from cuttings), or seedlings can be bought from growers. Harvesting takes place between June and August. In the early morning or evening hours is most suitable. It is not very susceptible to disease, and animal pests tend to avoid it, although it can still rot or get lavender mould. When we were planting lavender, we searched for information on how much lavender interests forest and meadow animals. Everywhere it says that animals do not like this aromatic plant and avoid it, which is not one hundred percent true – from our own experience we know that rabbits and deer can still take a bite of the bushes…
Family and close friends are involved in all activities related to lavender, whether it is sales, economics or media.
For the future we plan a self-sufficient, off-grid lavender farm operating under certified organic farming with elements of permaculture philosophy. The aim is gradual expansion of suitable plants, further aesthetic cultivation for broader cultural and social use, without subsidies, chemicals or heavy machinery. We want to develop cooperation with like-minded entities in the Nový Knín micro-region, always with respect for the life-giving spirit of nature.