Hi! Everybody!! Does anyone know where I can get a recipe for lavender soap? Also, this is the fifth growing season for my lavenders. They have woody stems almost up to the top. Does this mean I should cut back on watering or does it mean that it is time to replace them?
Have a good day!!
Thanks,
Chuck
French and Spanish Lavenders
Chuck, I don't recall the website, but google "kathy miller soaps" -- I just bought some from her and they are truly wonderful. She has a lot of info about soap making.
Hopefully someone will come along with an answer to the pruning question. Hopefully I'll need to know the answer myself one day -- I finally got some lavender to grow!
Chuck, check your local library, there are several good books on making soap. I personally like to make goat milk soap, it is so soothing. You can add lavender to it, but only the french type is for soap and such. The spanish is more for landscaping, I wouldn't use it for anything else. Good luck!
Karen
Oh, and to answer your question about the woody stems, lavenders do get woody after a few years, some replacethem when they get too woody. They don't like a lot of water. I cut mine back each year to shape them.
I have some lavender soap sitting and drying on my soap shelf right now. It is divine! Just take a basic soap recipe and add some lavender essential oil ( I like to use half an ounce per pound of oils in the recipe) at trace. Easy Peasy.
But I have to make a correction. A lot of people get the English and French lavenders backwards. French lavender is quite camphorous and is great for medicinal applications but it's the English lavender that is perfume quality and is the scent that most people associate with lavender. When you look at lavender essential oil, if it doesn't specify it's probably French. But it can be hard to find. Also try looking for Lavender 40/42. It's pretty standard for cosmetic applications because of it's fantastic and standardized fragrance.
I visited a lavender farm 2 weeks ago and was told to cut back my plants so that they wouldn't get woody.
Dear Bleepy,
Did they say how far back to cut? I was at a lavender farm about a month ago. I was with my Photo class and I couldn't really ask anyone questions. I do know that English Lavender doesn't do well in our area which is how I got into French and Spanish Lavenders.
Thanks,
Chuck
You're right, renwings, I only grow and use english lavender and I got mixed up myself!
When cutting back lavender do not cut into old wood. I usually cut back hard in the spring after new growth shows, then you can cut back to right above the lowest new growth. The tricky part is waiting for the lowest growth. Frequently my plants start growing towards the top first. I never cut back in the fall because it could cause new growth that will be killed by a frost and could weaken the plant.
CBernard, I'm jealous of you for being able to grow French and Spanish lav.!
Dear Sempervirens,
Thanks for the info. I will wait until next Spring to prune.
Dear wrightie,
Thanks for the comment. I plan on adding another French Lavender in Spring.
Thanks again,
Chuck
Chuck, have you visited our soap making forum?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/meltit/all/