English lavender fields are in full bloom in Cheltenham, England. Lavender became entwined within English folklore after being brought to the island nation by the Romans. These invaders grew lavender to provide supplies for their soliders, and they were the first to commercially grow it as a crop.
Lavender has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties and was one of the first natural antiseptics. When the Romans left England, lavender was grown extensively by monks to provide herbal remedies, and the chalk slopes around Carshalton and Hitchin became the main lavender growing areas of England, an industry that's still in bloom today.