Garden

I grow many types of lavender in my garden - English, French and Spanish varieties. It does really well in sunny, well drained areas. It's thriving in my front yard where I used it as one of the replacements for lawn grass. 

I harvest it after the bees are done with it at the end of summer. From just a few plants, I got a big bag full of stems and flowers.

I let them dry and will use them in cooking, cleaning, and as gifts. Here are some ideas and resources for using fresh lavender.

https://www.treehugger.com/what-i-do-with-lavender-harvest-7814290

https://ngb.org/lavender-recipes/

https://ngb.org/lavender-gifts-of-love/

Sage is a wonderful garden plant that takes very little water or effort to grow. I have several sage plants of different varieties. The bees love their purple flowers! I use the leaves in cooking when fresh. I cut them back after the first frost and make sage bundles for smudging, burning and as fire starters.

To learn more about smudging and its benefits, see this article from Kripalu https://kripalu.org/living-kripalu/sacred-art-smudging

Rosemary is another favorite in my garden and a favorite of the bees! The aromatic leaves are great with potatoes and vegetables. 

Here are uses for rosemary in the kitchen, bath and more  https://www.ruralsprout.com/rosemary-uses/