The Lavender Garden: Beautiful Varieties to Grow and Gather - Hardcover

Kourik, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811815706 ISBN 13: 9780811815703

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 1998

Synopsis

Gorgeously fragrant, invigorating, and rich with healing properties, lavender has been cultivated from the beginning of recorded civilization. Today, gardeners everywhere are discovering that growing lavender is a simple and wonderfully rewarding pleasure. The Lavender Garden is a beautiful guide to planting and using this versatile herb in all its forms. There is a variety of lavender to suit almost any setting, indoors and out, and here garden expert Robert Kourik profiles 16 of his favorites. From sky blue to dark violet varieties, he explains which will thrive in dry climates, which are perfect for arrangements, which will fill an entire room with a delightfully romantic fragrance. Once ready to harvest, readers can turn to recipes and directions for baking lavender desserts and breads, preparing lavender teas and syrups, arranging sheaves of lavender into delicate wands (a perfect gift), and even making lavender bath oils and perfumes. Now you don't have to live in the South of France to enjoy the sweet smell and subtle beauty of lavender.

About this title

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

About the Author:

Robert Kourik has written articles that have appeared in Garden Design, Fine Gardening, Country Life, and elsewhere. His books include Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally. He lives in Northern California. Read our interview with Robert.

Deborah Jones has won an International Association of Culinary Professionals award for her photography. Her images appear in many cookbooks, including Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking (0-8118-3383-6), A Perfect Glass of Wine (0-8118-1295-2), and the Vege

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0811815706
• ISBN 13: 9780811815703
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 120