Cotton Lavender - green foliage
Santolina virens (syn. rosmarinifolia)
Cotton lavender has been popular from the 16th Century and the leaves have a chamomile like aroma.
The dried foliage is used to blend with herbal tobaccos, and both leaves and flowers are a favourite in pot pourri.
If planted at 20cm spacing, in a staggered row, cotton lavender will clip into a neat hedge
and has been used in knot gardens and to edge borders for centuries.
Dried cotton lavender leaves are a successful moth deterrent.
Cut 10cm squares of muslin or cotton material and place 1tbs of the dried herb
in the centre along with 1 tsp. crushed cinnamon stick to act as preservative.
Tie up with ribbon to make the moth bags.
Herbal mixtures can be used in the bags by adding equal quantities of dried mint,
lavender, sage, rosemary or thyme leaves to the cotton lavender.
The flowers of Santolina virens are of a more subtle colour than those of common cotton lavender and are held on strong wiry stems. This makes them very suitable for cutting, and also for drying, for winter arrangements.