The Lavender Garden: Beautiful Varieties to Grow and Gather (Hardcover)

by Robert Kourik (Author), Deborah Jones (Photographer) "Lavender belongs to the large plant family of mints, a botanical grouping distinguished by square stems and, in many cases, remarkable fragrances..." (more)
Key Phrases: lavender foliage, lavandin oil, spike lavender, United States, North America, Cooperative Extension (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you consider yourself a lavender lover--that is to say, if you are mesmerized by the plant's delicious aroma, enchanted by its long, rich history, and passionate about its medicinal uses, The Lavender Garden is for you. This lovely book offers instructions on growing, maintaining, harvesting, and drying the plant. Author Robert Kourik includes a comprehensive profile of each variety including history, cultivation, bloom period, flower and foliage shapes, and landscape and culinary use--information that's most useful in determining which of the 16 varieties are right for one's garden. Each entry also contains suggestions on companion plantings that achieve the most aesthetic effect.

The sections on craft projects and culinary uses are outstanding. Kourik offers simple instructions on making oils, potpourri, perfume, and pillows, and the ins and outs of cooking with lavender. Twelve recipes and a list of display gardens and seed sources round out the back of the book. If you are looking to grow your knowledge about varieties of lavender, or would like to foster a friend's interest, The Lavender Garden is sure to delight. --Karen Karleski

Review
"Lavender is hot-that's what friends in northern California have been telling me. A year ago, you aspired to a personal olive grove and your own first virgin cold press. But now those in the know are planting fields of lavender You'll be doing it, too, my sources assured me. Not me, I thought, smug with Yankee conservatism. Then I visited Sonoma County...

Kourik has been growing lavender in 12 species and dozens of horticultural strains for more than 20 years, and he notes that some form of this herb will grow any place in North America where winter temperatures don't drop below oF (north of that, Kourik recommends it as a pot plant). Still, as a group, lavenders struck me as the ultimate Californian plants: elegant, sensual, and almost effortless.' -- Conde Nast House and Garden

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811815706
• ISBN-13: 978-0811815703
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,297 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > By Plant > Lavender
  #62 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Herbs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lavender 101, July 12, 2000

By	V.J. Billings (Mountain Valley Growers Squaw Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Lavender is a mysteriously elusive plant that encompasses many different facets of enjoyment. Botanists talk of color and leaf shape and ignore fragrance. Perfumists sniff the air for the sweetest smell. Landscapers push for the toughest or the smallest or the largest. And, gardeners want them all. The Lavender Garden sorts through some of the most asked questions and makes the task of choice a bit easier. Brief sections on choosing the right lavender, planting the lavender, pruning the lavenders, and using the lavenders provide just the right amount of information for the novice grower.   Particularly useful are the tips garnered from folks who work with the plants. The craft and recipe section is enjoyable and answers those pesky questions, like when to cut and how to dry and what is a lavender wand.  There are few points we couldn't embrace, like putting sand or gravel in the soil and using chemical fertilizer. But, overall the information is helpful in choosing the right plants for the right place and use.  It is Lavender 101 and a great starting point for those just discovering lavender.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tons of information and fascinating facts, August 5, 2000

By	Rebecca Green (My Deer Garden, Pomona NY) - See all my reviews

I purchased this book to determine which variety of lavender would be best for a new garden I was planning. Not only did it address my technical questions regarding each of the varieties, but it also unfolded this plant's fascinating history, diverse uses (including old European recipes for lavender flavored foods) and a has directory of lavender farms. Learning about the many varieties of lavender and their growing requirements is just the beginning of what this terrific book will reveal to you.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book sure to make you fall in love with lavender..., August 18, 1999

By A Customer

Mr. Kourik has provided thorough detail on all aspects of lavender - history, uses, species, cultivation and even recipes - in one gorgeous all-inclusive book. Beautiful photographs. Truly a pleasure to own.

Heather Neill | The Scentual Body