I love flowers. I love how beautiful they are, and I love that they can serve practical purposes as well! One of my favorites, both because of the color and the versatility, is lavender!

Lavender really can be such a miracle worker for so many things. It’s also got a gorgeous purple color, making it a beautiful addition to any yard or kitchen! It’s easy to grow and hardy, so don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a green thumb. Lavender can do so much more for you than just make a pretty centerpiece, so it’s absolutely worth your time to grow!

• It attracts good insects. Butterflies and bees are drawn to lavender, and you definitely want to keep bees busy! Especially if you have fruit trees and other plants that will benefit from pollination. Help the bees and plant some lavender.
• It’s a moth deterrent. And it smells so much better and is a much healthier alternative to mothballs!
• It’s also a fly repellent! Flies can’t stand the smell of lavender, so plant some around your doors, and keep a spray bottle with lavender-infused water on hand to spray surfaces to keep flies away! You can also keep bundles of dried lavender near the garbage can, screens, garages, or any other places flies like to hang out. This is especially helpful with summer right around the corner!
• And if you need another reason to keep this miracle-worker around, lavender also keeps mosquitos at bay. Basically, it’s a great summertime pest repellent!
• If you do happen to get a bug bite, lavender oil can be a soothing way to treat it, in addition to burns, ear infections, and many other ailments!
• You can tie a little bunch of lavender upside down to your showerhead to create a spa-like experience! Not only will your shower smell heavenly, but you can also enjoy the relaxing effects of that lavender aroma.
• You can add it to homemade cleaners for that calm, peaceful aroma, in addition to its antibacterial properties! A much better smell than bleach and other chemicals!
• Some people claim lavender can also be a deterrent for cats. I’ve heard mixed reviews on this, but if you have a cat problem in your neighborhood, you may as well plant some lavender and give it a shot!

Lavender truly is a little miracle worker. What’s your favorite way to use lavender?

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com