Lavender: The Grower's Guide

by Virginia McNaughton, Joan L. Headley (Foreword)

With their heady perfume and stunning visual appeal, lavenders have been prized by gardeners since ancient times. Lavender is a truly comprehensive study that enables the reader to research and identify more than 200 lavender species and varieties. With chapters on cultivation, propagation, pests and diseases, and botanical history, this book is as practical as it is authoritative.

More than 200 photos document recent advances in color variation that have resulted from intense breeding; plants now available range from deep purple and lilac to white, cream, pink, and red-violet. With so many hardy and dependable plants to choose from, no lavender enthusiast will want to be without this indispensable book.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Nonfiction

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Brenda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you want or need to know about lavender! All types! Propagating! Growing! Soil! History! Harvesting! Insects! Beautiful pictures. A great reference book I will use again and again!

[Arielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well-researched botanical book on lavender. The majority of the book consists of descriptions and identification markers for various cultivars of this fragrant herb. I would recommend it to those thinking of cultivating or collecting lavender. It would also be helpful to gardeners who are looking for unique cultivars that will work in their gardens. There is only one somewhat major aspect of this book that I don't like--the photos are great but they are more often than not placed a on a different page than the cultivar's entry. As extensive as the entries are in this book, it's quite a bother to have to thumb through the entire chapter to find a corresponding photo. I would liken this book to a field guide, but you are not likely to find many of these lavender varieties in a common garden.

Overall it's a very thorough book. I enjoyed reading it and learning more about the history and growing habits of lavender.

[Ramarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This guide had a definite botanical emphasis in regards to lavender. About 75% of the book is devoted to detailed descriptions of the many varieties of lavender. If you were an experienced grower looking for information on a particular variety, the detail and photos would be helpful. I confess, I skimmed this part. I did find the first chapters on General Cultivation and Propagation helpful. Did you know the stem of a lavender plant is called a peduncle?? Yep, more than I need to know in this tome. I'm glad I got it through interlibrary loan.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of information in it. It was good, but as a beginner it was too much.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Love lavender.

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, there are lots of different types of lavender! I now know the English variety is the type to plant in Colorado.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures are worth the price of this book. I now grow lavender simply because I read this book.