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| Dad's Lavender. lavendula dentata aka French Lavender |
Basically it all started with my dad's death some eighteen odd years ago. At the time he owned a farm at Cabarlah, some 20 or so k's on the north side of Toowoomba. Also at the time my sister, Debbie, and her partner at the time were living on his farm as well. It was here where they were building a mud brick hut/shack. It was around this hut/shack that I assume Debbie planted some flowers and shrubs one of which was a lavender which will go on to become 'dad's' lavender.
So just how did this inconspicuous lavender go on to become 'Dad's lavender?
Well, it was about five days later after my dad's funeral and I was back home with my wife, Terina, at the time (the same one I've got now actually) and she was telling me about walking around dad's farm on the day of his funeral and showing me an old tin she'd found whilst walking around. Inside the tin there was some lavender flowers she'd picked from around Deb and her partners shack.
Now it was also at this time that I was studying for my Certificate of Horticulture at the GCIT and I was doing a lot of experimenting with propagation and the idea came to me to see if I could propagate these Lavender pieces that Terina had picked. Now having been picked several days ago and with no specific aftercare I didn't give these much hope but went ahead anyhow.
Anyhow blow me down if they didn't strike and go on to be potted up and continue to flourish. I can't remember now how many I tried to strike or how many I planted and this first lot have long since passed on but every year or so since I will propagate a few cuttings to make sure I keep what has now become my strongest living memory (in the plant world at least) of my dad.
So there you have it, the story of Dad's Lavender.
Cheers and happy spring
Stewart
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| A photo I pinched from Debs blog with her blessing of course. |
7 comments:
What a lovely way to keep the memory of you dad alive.
Shoulda saved this one for father's day tomorrow.
Funny how the telling of a story can leave so much untold.
Oh, nice photo of the lavender by the way.
Thanks Lisa and yes Deb, I was reading it after I posted and then thought I fathers day tomorrow, oh well he'll get half a day. Not sure what you mean with the untold story line, care to elaborate?
Nice photo, gosh, thanks Deb :)
Probably best I leave sleeping dogs lie. Currently feeling too much resentment and frustration to be balanced in my views.
Sure would be nice to still have that mud brick shack though.
That's lovely. We have similar things here; it's my wife's grandparent's house that we now live in. Under the back yard tap there grows garlic chives, where her grandmother grew them. They just keep on coming, year after year, in the same spot. It's nice.
Give me some tips though for getting lavender going!!? I have seeds, and I've tried in potting mix with no success. Lavender and my ultra heavy clay soil and tropical climate doesn't really go together and I realise that; but I have seen it around town and I'm thinking I can grow a small hedge of them in some raised and well draining soil alongside my veggie garden.. any tips you have chuck em to me on face pov!!!? Thanks Stewart!
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