By Sally Festing

This book is a well-written and interesting work containing a huge amount of fascinating historical information about the uses of lavender. Well worth its place on the shelf of a lavender enthusiast.’ Alastair Christie of Jersey Lavender says ‘It's a great update, and packed with fascinating insights.’ Does it intrigue you that Gerard, the Elizabethan herbalist, prescribed lavender for ‘the panting and passion of the heart’, or that a little book on herbs from the beginning of the 14th century reckoned Lavender was Rosemary’s wife?image0-9 Do you want to visit one of the 30 odd UK lavender farms distributed from the north west of Scotland to the Isle of Wight, or look at pretty picts. of lavender fields in the Antipodes? You could read about the cries of those who stood on London’s street corners selling bunches, about the old centres of cultivation, or simply which varieties might suit your garden and their correct botanical names. Full of startling snippets of mythology, The Story of Lavender makes an overview of a subject to which there is no end.