AboutRobin Expertise I can answer questions relating to the identification, growing and ethnobotany of native plants in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States, particularly the Great Lakes Region.
I am not so good with grasses and I cannot answer questions related to the West Coast or the deep South.
Experience I maintain a half acre woodland garden in Michigan. I have attended many native gardening workshops and I studied field botany in college. I have taken groups on native plant walks.
Organizations Michigan Native Gardeners
Wild Ones
Education/Credentials I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology with a Biology minor.
Expert: Robin Date: 4/13/2008 Subject: true lavender
Question I live in North Carolina. I'm surrounded by flat woods, as well as a valley that has a creek. Where should I look for lavender, and if I find it, how should I dry it? My goal is to repel moths. Thanks.
Answer Lavender (Lavendula spp) is not native to the US. It is native to many parts of Europe, Africa, a few islands, parts of the middle East, parts of Asia... basically everywhere BUT the Americas. That being said, there's probably some growing wild somewhere in the US. For the most part, it doesn't like being frozen, though it can take a bit of cold, so you're probably in a good area to find it growing wild. Common Lavender (L. augustofolia, aka, L. officinalis) prefers full sun, though it can take some shade. It also prefers well-drained soil and as an old herbalist said to me once "lavender doesn't like getting its feet wet", so anywhere that has standing water for any period throughout the year is not going to be attractive to lavender. You probably won't find them in woodland areas either, but a sunny slope might be the place to look.
That being said, lavender is a great herb to repel moths. The method of drying herbs that I use most:
I cut the herbs with long stalks, taking several branches. I don't just strip off the leaves. I place these upside down in a paper bag and staple the top shut, making sure to catch the stems in the staples. The bag absorbs moisture, but doesn't add heat, so the herbs can dry slowly, preserving their scent better. It also keeps out light and light can damage essential oils, reducing the scent. Also, you can put the whole bag in the closet and your lavender can be doing its job of keeping things smelling fresh and keeping moths away before it's even dried.
Once the stalks are dried you can tie them in a bundle with a ribbon and hang them in your closets or lay them in your drawers or chests or you can make sachets by stripping off the flowers and putting them in cloth bags tied with a ribbon. I have always been more practical than pretty, so I just put the flowers in the foot of some old nylons and tie a knot. You can hang these in the closet on a hanger, or tie it to the rod, or just throw them in your drawers. I also throw them in my dryer with my linens to keep them smelling sweet, because a lavender pillow case is very restful.
