A trio of lavender bouquets in bottles sit on a window sill at a farm in Kansas, where row after row of a variety of lavender is grown. It was a delight to visit this fragrant farm to enjoy one of my favorite flowers. Since ancient times, people have used lavender in many ways -- to wash, for medicine, for cooking, for perfume. It's a very versatile herb with a sweet, pleasant fragrance. Lavender, a member of the mint family, is grown commercially mainly for the production of essential oil of lavender. This has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. These extracts are also used as fragrances for bath products. Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Lavender is also used in sachets used to freshen linens. The English word lavender is generally thought to be come from Old French lavandre, ultimately from the Latin lavare (to wash), referring to the use of infusions of the plants. The botanic name Lavandula as used by Linnaeus is considered to be derived from this and other European common names for the plants.