熏衣草 (图)

5月的时候在人海欧洲的论坛里转贴了一篇<<熏衣草的浪漫传说>>。那之前一个朋友刚在我家里作过客，出门的时候指着我们家门前小路旁的一排Lavendo说，你种了这么多熏衣草，开花了可以放在衣柜里，好闻又防虫。这才知道了它的中国名字，心里惊喜了很久。从前看过一部香港电影是这个名字的，当时觉得浪漫极了，没料到自己家里就种了这么多。后来在网上看到那篇<<熏衣草的浪漫传说>>和许多美丽的照片，知道5月熏衣草在法国正是开花的季节。照片上的熏衣草开着蓝紫色的细碎的花，一串串的，往往是覆盖了一整片山坡或田野。在阳光下面，燃烧的紫色，是那种叫人无比心爱的颜色，它的魅丽，在这里是发挥到极致了。

 

我家的熏衣草是6月开，花期很长，连绵不断地开到7月中。开到极胜的时候，花园里，小路上飞满了蜂蝶，轰轰烈烈。每次走过，就情不自禁地快乐。熏衣草一点也不难养，入冬前我们都要把所有的枝叶剪光，不用施肥，第二年春天又会蓬勃地长出新的枝叶，一大丛的一大丛的，把地面给盖住。就是这样普通的一年开一次花的植物。从前的时候我没有特别地注意过它。

 

朋友说，熏衣草在盛开的时候采摘下来是最芬芳的，可以立即扎成束吊在衣柜里或者是房间里。今天早上，我兴致大发，拿了剪子去花园里剪了一大把，握在手里，有浓郁的紫色和淡淡的干燥的清香。搬进这房子有3年半了，今年是第一次真正注意到它的美丽和香味后面的含义，第一次把它的花温柔地采下来存放。心里突然想，如果没有熏衣草这个名字和有关这个名字的各种传说，它在这个花园里的盛开和凋谢会是那么的寂寞。

 

我会在今后的每一年里把它所有的花收集起来，作一个懂它的人。

 

 

[飘泊]

昨天一口气读完所有的文章，心一下子亮起来
原来这就是薰衣草呀
去前院看了看，已经被其他的植物挤得只漏几株小花
儿时的渴望又一次燃烧起来
自然，美， 与爱， 这样来享受生活吧

Looking After Lavender


Planting
Lavender can be planted singly, when the full beauty of its dome-shaped habit can be appreciated, or as a hedge. You will be rewarded with two or three months of summer colour, and attractive foliage throughout the year.

For a hedge, allow 12-18 inches (30-45cm) between plants, depending on the variety.

If the soil is at all acid, use lots of lime when planting and then an annual top dressing. On heavy soils, line a deep trench with shingle for better draining and add plenty of sand to the soil.

Feeding
Most plants enjoy a little manure, and it will certainly help to establish healthy plants quickly. High potassium feed promotes flowering, but too rich a soil may result in limp, over-leafed plants.

Pruning
Cut back well after flowering – at least to leaf level – to maintain a compact and tidy bush.

We strongly advise against pruning lavender during the spring.

Propagation by seed
When ripe, the fine, black seeds of lavender can be collected from the flowers as the bushes are pruned; they are also available from seedsmen. Germination is erratic and plants produced by this method are most unlikely to be true to the parent plant. In one sowing there may be plants of different sizes and colour – interesting for the plant breeder, but not good for a tidy hedge.

Propagation by layering
Long stems of lavender may be bent down into the soil and held in place with a stone or a wooden or wire peg until they have rooted (this may take several months), when the rooted stem can be cut from the mother plant and replanted.

Propagation by cuttings
The best method of propagation is to take ‘heel cuttings’ from your own plants in spring or autumn. Select a non-flowering young shoot and pull it sharply downloads so that it comes away with a ‘heel’ at the bottom. Dip this into a hormone compound and plant it in a light, sandy compost. Keep it just moist and protect it from frost. Spring cuttings are usually quickest to root. One-year old plants should be cut back after flowering to encourage bushy growth, and if necessary transplanted to allow more room for growth. At about two years old the plants can be put in their permanent positions.

How to treat a neglected Lavender
Firstly, take cuttings just in case. Then, once they have rooted, you can take drastic action.

Using large pruners, cut the thick woody stems down to two or three inches (5-8cm) from the ground. The plant should then make new growth from the base. This is best done in spring when the danger of frost has passed. An old floppy plant might also be suitable for layering.

Pests
The only pest on lavender is the green capsid bug or cuckoo spit. This is unsightly but harmless.

Many people believe that strongly aromatic plants like lavender keep garden pests away, and plant them among fruit and vegetables – greenfly certainly seem to dislike it.

Disease
Shab is the only killer disease. It was this that wiped out the old lavender fields in southern England. Spores of Phoma lavandula appear on the stems as minute black spots and cause the flower stalks to corkscrew and turn brown. Then parts of the bush die. There is no cure for shab, so if it does appear it is best to get rid of the plant completely. Most modern hybrids are resistant to shab, but ‘Munstead’ and occasionally ‘Loddon Pink’ are susceptible.

If a bush has died, it may be because of a hard frost, or because of the unwelcome attentions of dogs.

Tender varieties
Tender varieties may be grown in large posts in a conservatory in winter. The best potting mixture is two parts coarse gritty sand to one part loam. Once the danger of frost has passed, plants are much better left outside.