Lavender

Common Names
English Lavender, True Lavender
Botanical Name
Lavendula angustifolia
Plant Family
Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
Native Range
Mediterranean

Life Cycle
Perennial
Hardiness Zone
5-9
Habit
Evergreen shrub. Plants are 2ft tall and wide with a tidy mounding habit. Aromatic flowers are bee and butterfly magnets.
Sun/Soil
Needs full sun and well-drained soil.
Germination/Sowing
The seeds are best sown in flats in the spring and then transplanted out once they are big enough.
Growing/Care
One of the easiest herbs to grow, English Lavender germinates easily from seed and will grow into a little shrub two feet wide and tall in a few seasons. To keep the plants looking tidy you'll need to trim them back after flowering so that they don't sprawl outward or become woody. Never cut all the way back to the wood parts as the plants will not regrow from these.
After the first season, once the plants have a chance to become established, they do not require watering even in the hottest of summers.
Harvesting
The flower spikes are traditionally harvested when in bud, or just as they begin to open.
Culinary Uses
The flowers are used to flavour confectionaries, beverages, and jellies. 
Medicinal Uses
Mainly prized for its essential oil content, the scent of lavender is both uplifting and relaxing.