Lavender flowers are known for their distinct color and aroma. The plant's name comes from the Latin 'lavare,' meaning to wash, as the fragrant oil was used--as it is today--in bath and body products.

Photograph by Shari Kaplan

Master Gardeners to hold tour in Santa Cruz County

By Tony Tomeo

I don't think my garden is typical of what most horticulturists would want around their home. Because I spend all my time working in so many other gardens, I do not have any time for my own.

Most garden enthusiasts prefer more elaborate gardens and livable outdoor space. Some occasionally enjoy sharing their gardens or visiting other gardens during garden tours, which are often an excellent source of new ideas and information.

All the garden tours that I am aware of in the Santa Clara Valley are conducted in spring or summer. There is one tour left, however. The Monterey Bay Master Gardeners will be hosting its fourth annual Masters' Garden Tour 2001 on Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the tour will also include a plant sale, raffle and Master Gardener Community Project Information Gallery.

This self-guided tour features eight coastal gardens in Santa Cruz and Aptos composed by graduates of the Monterey Bay Master Gardeners Program. Each of the respective Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions about the gardens. Because the climate and soil in Santa Cruz is very different from that of the Santa Clara Valley, guests may see familiar species performing out of season as well as many other species that are not often seen in local gardens.

Prior to the tour, tickets including a map and descriptions of the gardens may be obtained at several nurseries throughout Santa Cruz County for $12. Some of the closest nurseries where tickets may be obtained are: The Garden Company and Bay West Nursery in Santa Cruz; Hidden Gardens and The Potting Shed in Aptos; The Pergola in Soquel; Plant Words in Felton; and Sierra Azul in Watsonville. Tickets may be obtained for $15 on the day of the tour.

Monterey Bay Master Gardeners is a nonprofit volunteer organization of graduates of the course sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension in Watsonville. Proceeds benefit community garden projects in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, including a homeless shelter garden, the Watsonville Youth and Demonstration Garden, habitat restoration, and school and senior projects.

For more information, or for a complete list of locations to obtain tickets, please call 831.372.1326 or 831.353.2257. (Tickets may be obtained at a few other establishments in the Monterey area.)

Flower of the Week: Lavender

While vacationing near my father's home on the Olympic Peninsula, I visited the strangely aromatic town of Sequim (pronounced "skwim"), Wash. Despite the overpowering nature of the inescapable fragrance, I stayed long enough to find that the source was the area around the town where lavender was the main crop. Local residents were proud of their town's designation as the lavender capital of the world.

After that experience, I was hesitant to plant a single English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, for my neighbor; and only did so because I knew that one plant could not possibly smell as horrid as Sequim.

Lavender prefers sunny, warm exposure with good drainage. When established, only minimal irrigation and fertilizer is required. Too much irrigation may cause the roots to rot. The purple or lavender colored floral spikes are strongly fragrant. The grayish foliage is also aromatic.

English lavender, which is the most popular, can get to 4 feet tall and wide (I think mine is about 6 feet wide now.) The narrow, 2-inch-long leaves have smooth margins. Half-inch-long lavender flowers appear in July or August on foot-long or longer spikes. Several dwarf cultivars that exhibit distinctively unique flowers or foliage are also available.

French lavender, L. dentata, is smaller than English lavender, with smaller, grayer, serrate foliage and shorter floral spikes that bloom for a much longer season. Spanish lavender, L. stoechas, has half-inch-long, gray leaves and dense, dark purple flowers on short spikes in early summer. The floral spikes of both French lavender and Spanish lavender terminate at a vertical tuft of larger bracts. Spike lavender, L. latifolia, resembles English lavender, but has larger leaves and branched floral spikes.

Although most nurseries stock some species of lavender, acquisition of specific species or cultivars may require research. Some of the more unusual cultivars are only available from specialty nurseries or need to be ordered.

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Horticulturist Tony Tomeo may be contacted at 408.358.2574 or online at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.

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