Queen Elizabeth I and her Love for Lavender

During the Elizabethan Era, the lavender plant experienced wild popularity. In fact, the golden era of herb gardens in Britain was from the late 1400’s to the mid 1600’s, reaching its peak during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). This was probably due to the Queen’s personal fondness for this particular flower.Queen Elizabeth I loved, loved, loved lavender. So much so that she demanded fresh lavender flowers be available around the grounds every day of the year. You can imagine what a difficult task for a gardener this was, considering the English climate. She was known to require lavender conserve to always be at the royal table, preferring it with her mutton rather than mint jelly. She even used lavender in tea, as she believed it helped treat her frequent migraines. Of course, the Queen used lavender as a perfume. Lavender is actually one of the oldest perfumes used in England. Queen Elizabeth I also encouraged and supported the development of lavender farms.Lavender was so popular during this era that it was first distilled, during the 16th century, in order to extract the sweet smelling essential oil that accumulates in its purple flowers. It is still a very popular scent today.