8 Best Lavender Leaves Uses You Didn't Know
19.09.2024 - 19:01
/ balconygardenweb.com
/ Editorial Team
Native to the Mediterranean, lavender is a hardy medicinal herb from the mint family, comprising over 30 species. This evergreen shrub is all the rage in gardening because its utility extends beyond good looks and amazing fragrance.
Popular in herb and culinary gardens and as borders and hedges, the most common varieties include English lavender (L. angustifolia), Spanish lavender (L. stoechas), and French lavender (L. dentata), as well as hybrids like lavandin.
While dried lavender flowers are popular for their use in DIY essential oils and flavoring sweets and drinks, their leaves’ properties are lesser known. But we are about to change that—let’s explore!
After pruning, all the leftover clippings are perfect for mulch. Dried lavender leaves increase drainage in the soil and help control weeds.
For composting, you could split its long, spindly leaves into smaller parts with a lawnmower, so they break down and are more effective.
And it doesn’t have to be fresh. Old, dried-up foliage debris can also be added to compost to make a nutrient-rich mix!
Lavender’s fragrance is renowned for repelling pests and deterring deer. In addition to growing lavender as borders and hedges, you can steep dried lavender leaves in water to concoct an aromatic, leafy infusion in spray form.
Strain it and spray it lightly in your garden near your plants. You could add a few drops of other essential oils to this infusion to make it stronger.
You can also pack small sachets with dried lavender leaves and flowers and hang them wherever you please, including the garden, your closet, the bathroom, etc for the fragrance.
Lavender leaves contain compounds like linalool and linalyl acetate, which give them a strong scent and repel mosquitoes, slugs, and