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Text And Photographs By Zahrah Nasir July 19th, 2009 The quintessential favourite English garden plant, commonly known as lavender, does not originate from that country at all but is mostly of Mediterranean, including North African, extraction with some species being found on the Arabian peninsula and also in India. The latter may come as quite a surprise to the countless gardeners who have tried, and failed, to grow this fragrant shrub in the `lowlands` of Pakistan. Tales of lavender scented woe are common fare from Karachi to Islamabad which, as we know, have quite diverse climatic and soil conditions but gardeners, being a breed apart, will go to any length possible to grow the plant of their choice whatever the hazards involved and I know of desperate lavender loving ladies who have brought young lavender plants, carefully wrapped in their luggage, back from UK, Switzerland, Canada and America to name but a few countries and all, without fail, have watched their pre...