Lavender is a beautiful herb with an intense and sweet scent. It’s also popular in cooking because of the flavor and color it adds to dishes. Most people know lavender as a flower, but not all flowers are lavender. Here, we’ll talk about whether or not lavender is a flower, so read on!
What is Lavender?
Lavender is a perennial plant with long, narrow leaves and small purple flowers. It has a spicy aroma and grows well in beds and rock gardens.
Lavender is an herb that grows in cool climates, so it’s found in many parts of the world. The Greeks used lavender as a medicine as far back as 2000 BC. They would grind the dried lavender leaves into a fine powder and bury it to keep away pests.
It is part of the mint family and is related to chamomile and Roman Chamomile. Lavender plants grow best in full sun and will tolerate light frost, though they will still lose leaves if the temperature gets too low. The plants themselves are soft and wispy, while their flowers are tiny and purple.
Is lavender a flower?
Lavender is a beautiful plant, but is lavender a flower? A lavender plant produces flowers that are purple and smell fantastic. Many people believe that if it looks like a flower and smells like a flower, it must be a flower. It is also considered a herb and can be used as such.
However, some people disagree and think that lavender is not a true flower. They believe that it is a plant – a type of herb – and not a flower at all – but an herb with flowers on it.
Types of Lavender Plants
1. French Lavender:
French lavender is the most common variety of lavender and is used in many products – from tea to soap and even potpourri. It has a sweet and spicy scent and its flowers are larger than other varieties.
It grows best in full sun and can reach up to five feet in height. The flowers are purple with white centers, but the leaves are gray-green in color.
2. English Lavender:
English lavender has flowers that are somewhat smaller than the French variety, but they have a stronger scent. The sweet scent of this variety is also more noticeable than with French lavender. The color of the flower is a little darker, and the leaves are not as green as those of French lavender.
3. Lavandula x intermedia:
Lavender x intermedia is a variety of lavender that flowers only in the summer. However, this variety is not completely different from lavender since it is also an herb. It can grow up to three feet tall and has small purple flowers with white centers. The scent is quite different from the other varieties, being more aromatic and herbal.
4. Lavandula latifolia:
Lavandula latifolia is a type of lavender that has been bred to make it more like French lavender. The flowers are larger and it is more aromatic, but still not on par with true French lavender. It is also more drought-tolerant than other varieties, which makes it a great choice for people who live in dry areas.
5. Lavandula Pinnata:
Lavandula pinata is actually a plant with lavender flowers. It is also known as “Spanish lavender.” Similar to rosemary, it prefers dry climates and will grow well in full sun or partial shade.
6. Lavandula Nimmoi:
Lavandula nimmoi is a variety of lavender that will only flower in the summer. It is a short plant that can easily be grown in a container. The flowers are a vibrant purple and the leaves are a darker shade of green.
Lavender Uses
Aromatherapy:
Lavender has a very strong scent and can be used for aromatherapy. The scent has been used to relieve anxiety, improve moods, and help reduce headaches.
Essential oils:
Lavender oil is a popular essential oil that can be highly concentrated. The lavender plant itself may be crushed and distilled to make lavender oil, but it’s also found in products like soap and lotion. These products are sold everywhere from health food stores to discount retailers like Target or Wal-Mart.
Soap:
Lavender is usually combined with other oils to make soap. It’s also possible to make soaps from lavender oil or extract. The scent of lavender is often used for children’s soaps.
Fertilizer:
Lavender plants are sometimes planted around gardens to repel mosquitoes and other insects. This makes it a popular herb for growers of fruit trees, roses, and vegetables. Some people even use lavender plants as livestock fences.
Conclusion:
Lavender is a plant that smells great and has medicinal properties that are supposed to help treat problems like anxiety and insomnia. It also grows in rock gardens, so it’s easy to keep in the yard.
The problem is that lavender is not really much of a flower. Lavender is not much of a flower because even though it does have purple flowers, it’s not technically a flower because flowers are considered to be reproductive parts of plants.