Lime: (A Story About Lavender)

Several years ago I became interested in herb gardening but knew nothing about herbs (except how delicious they are)  and very little about gardening. After driving past a cute nursery everyday on my way to and from work I finally decided to stop and check it out. Willow Oak Herb Garden didn’t look like much but it had a charming name and a hand painted sign that advertised a dozen long stemmed roses for ten dollars. Maybe this nursery is a hidden gem, I thought. I pulled into their gravel driveway and parked in the dusty lot.

There was no visible shop. No people. No pots of flowers or trays of herbs tempting me. Hmmm. I wandered around feeling like a trespasser and wondering if I was going to be run out by a man with a shotgun. Suddenly I noticed  a friendly looking donkey standing in front of a small barn. Right on cue an old golden retriever walked up to greet me. A rooster started crowing in the distance. After walking a little further through the garden I found a small log cabin with a tea tray on the table. Cups full of cold tea. Where was I? I was starting to feel like Alice in Wonderland. I turned around expecting to see another animal but instead saw a woman.

Maria was wearing a large floppy sun hat and was holding a basket of herbs when she found me exploring the cabin. She introduced herself as the owner of the garden and escorted me to the garden shop. Her quaint shop was full of herbs, teas and dried bouquets. I decided on an English Lavender plant and couldn’t wait to get it home and plant it. Maria told me that Lavender “likes lime” in its soil. I thanked her and nodded in understanding. I didn’t want to leave the magic garden I had discovered but I had work to do. I drove straight to the grocery store. To buy a lime. Which I proceeded to squeeze all over the soil in that poor plants pot. The lavender eventually died. I later discovered that the lime I needed is an alkaline substance obtained from limestone. NOT an actual lime.

You live, you learn!

I have been back to visit Willow Oak Herb Garden many times since my first trip and it never fails to enchant me. Something about my first time there sparked my passion for herb gardening which later evolved into herb drying.

Check out my tutorial on drying Lavender.