The Lavender Lover's Handbook

About The Book:  With its intoxicating scent, gorgeous wands of purple flowers, and silvery foliage, lavender is one of the most sought-after plants. But the horticultural reasons for choosing lavender go far beyond its beauty. Lavender attracts beneficial insects, requires little water once established, and is deer resistant. In The Lavender Lover's Handbook, lavender grower Sarah Bader teaches gardeners how they can successfully grow this beloved plant. Featuring the 100 easiest, most stunning lavenders available today, this beginner's guide provides a complete checklist of the color, fragrance, size, and foliage of each plant, in addition to basic pruning, spacing, and planting requirements. The text is rounded out with tips on how to harvest, cook, and craft with this wonderful herb. Its abundant variety, hardiness, fragrance, and culinary uses make lavender one of the most popular and versatile plants. And now, with this practical and accessible guide in hand, it's easier than ever to grow at home.

About The Author:  Sarah Berringer Bader has always been drawn to lavender.  In 2000 she purchased a five-acre farm south of Portland, Oregon, and wafter visiting the Sequim Lavender Festival in Washingon and seeing rows and rows of this wonderous herb, decided to create a test plot of 365 plants despite knowing nothbingn about planting lavender.  She learned through trial and error, helped by a little-known society of lavender pioneers who had dedicated their careers to cultivating, growing, and preserving the true species of lavender.  Soon she purchased many varieties of lavender from a seasoned grower in Oregon who had propagated starts from his own extensive collection acquired over a twenty-year span.  In 2005 she planted almost 5000 lavender plants with more than ninety cultivars and began propagating her own starts from cuttings.  She opened her farm to the public and began holding the classes that inspired this book.  Sarah and her farm, Lavender at Stonegate, have been featured in Grower Talks and Country Gardens magazines.
My Thoughts:  Lavender has intoxicated me for years.  The heady smell of it as a potpourri, the pungent taste of it in recipes, the beauty of it in decoration has always brought me a great deal of pleasure.  The photography in the book, by Janet Loughrey was amazing.  The book is filled with glorious pictures, tasteful recipes, fabulous crafts, and a wonderful education on growing lavender.  This book is a must read for anyone who has a draw to lavender.
Disclaimer:  This book was sent to me by Net Galley Publishing Group as part of their blogger review program.  The opinion stated within the review is 100% my own.