The Scents of Summer - Rosemary & Lavender

Rosemary and Lavender grow in profusion at the National Herb Centre.

Blue, mauve, pink and white – these are the colours of rosemary and lavender flowers, with their evocative scents of Mediterranean hillsides; they are the perfect plants for a sunny spot in the garden.
Grow them in well-drained soil in a sunny and breezy spot. Both like to get their roots deep into a stony soil like their native Mediterranean hillsides.  If grown in containers, they require deep pots and compost containing plenty of grit.  Trim them well immediately after flowering to maintain attractive and bushy growth.  The trimmings need not go to waste – use them for their scent and flavour.

Rosemary  is for remembrance and used to be twined in bridal wreaths and given to the bridegroom to encourage the couple to always remember their vows.  It was also carried at funerals and is still used for planting near a grave or for inclusion in a funeral wreath.

Rosemary flowers very early in the year, and like the holy thorns, was supposed to bloom at midnight on old Christmas Eve.

Used with meat, especially lamb, and other savoury dishes, rosemary  can also be used with sweeter fare such as apples, summer wine cups and as flavouring in cakes.

Medicinal uses are based on its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties as well as the anti-oxidants it contains.  Use it also in shampoos as an effective hair tonic.

Lavender  essential oil is often used to soothe and promote sleep – said even to make lions and tigers docile.  Used in aromatherapy for aches, anxiety and depression and a drop in bath water at night.

Lavender flowers can be used to flavour cakes, herb jellies or vinegar.  Fields of lavender are grown for the perfume trade in Europe and the U.K.

Visitors to the National Herb Centre can wander through fields and gardens full of lavenders, rosemaries and other fragrant herbs.  On a sunny Summer’s day these are alive with butterflies, bees and dragonflies. 

Demonstration gardens show how herbs can be grown together in quite small gardens, in contrast to the fields full of rosemary, sage thyme and parsley that clothe the valley below.  There are many herb plants on sale, including 25 varieties of rosemary, 25 of lavender and 35 of thyme, plus a wide variety of pots, tubs and other containers to grow them in.  A visit to the Herb centre can include a snack or meal in the Bistro, where many dishes using herbs are on the menu. 

Children can enjoy a special lunch box, a game in the play area, run round the labyrinth or play hide and seek in the woods.  Their parents may prefer a quieter walk through the vegetable gardens and along the top pathway which offers views over three counties – Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Forthcoming events include a Hanging Basket Workshop, a Kitchen Door Herb Workshop on growing herbs in containers, and an introduction to dye plants and their uses.  All workshops can be booked by telephoning the Herb Centre on -01295-690999.  There are plenty of workshops for children too – look see our events page