The soft glow of a LAFCO fragrance candle brings warmth and light to any room in the house while luxurious essential oil-based fragrance transports your mind and calms your spirit. Every LAFCO scented candle is presented in a handblown art glass vessel, carefully crafted to highlight the uniqueness of each fragrance. Not only do LAFCO’s handblown glass vessels turn each fragranced candle into a work of art, but they are perfect for repurposing.
If you’re looking for a way to upcycle your collection of LAFCO vessels, consider pairing them with the free spearmint seeds LAFCO is giving away with every purchase in April in honor of Earth Day to start an herb garden right in your own kitchen.
Free Spearmint Seeds for Earth Day
Each year we celebrate Earth Day on the 22nd of April as a show of support for environmental protection. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is now acknowledged globally with a wide range of events, honored by more than 1 billion people in over 190 countries. Celebrated on the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, Earth Day also marks the passing of the Paris Agreement which was signed by the United States, China, and 120 other countries in 2016.
To celebrate Earth Day this year, LAFCO is gifting a packet of spearmint seeds free with every purchase made in the month of April. Spearmint is a perennial herb that produces slender floral spikes that bloom pink or white in the summer. Use your seeds to start an herb garden right in your kitchen in celebration of Earth Day. It’s also the perfect opportunity to reuse your LAFCO art glass vessels.
How to Grow Spearmint at Home
Every LAFCO fragranced candle is presented in a decorative art glass vessel. These vessels can be repurposed for a variety of uses including containers for growing herbs. In a few simple steps you can clean out your LAFCO candle vessel and prepare it for use as a plant container.
Follow these steps to grow spearmint in your repurposed art glass vessel:
- After your LAFCO fragranced candle has burned out for the last time, let it sit until fully cooled.
- Place the vessel in the freezer overnight to harden any remaining wax.
- Scrape the wax out of the vessel using a butter knife, taking care not to crack or break the glass.
- Remove any final traces of wax by soaking the vessel in hot water for a few hours.
- Discard any wax that solidifies on the surface of the water then wash the vessel well.
- Let the vessel dry then fill with a half inch of fine gravel.
- Fill the vessel to about 1 inch below the rim with high-quality potting mix.
- Sow two or three spearmint seeds about ¼-inch deep in the center of the jar – do not pack the soil or cover them too deeply.
- Lightly water the seeds then place the vessel on a sunny windowsill.
- Give the seeds 5 to 10 days to germinate, keeping the soil slightly damp.
- Once the seedlings start to grow, water as needed to keep the soil moist.
- Harvest the spearmint by plucking the leaves as needed.
Stock up on your favorite LAFCO fragranced candles and use the repurposed vessels to expand your herb garden. As your herbs continue to grow, you can transplant them into larger containers and keep using your LAFCO art glass vessels as starter pots. The 6.5-ounce Classic size is ideal for a single plant while the 30-ounce 3-wick candle vessel is perfect for starting several small plants.
The Benefits of Growing Spearmint
Also known as garden mint or lamb mint, spearmint is a member of the mint family native to Europe and parts of southern Asia. Often used as a flavoring in food and herbal teas, spearmint also yields an aromatic oil that has been associated with a number of health benefits. Whether you cook with fresh spearmint, dry the leaves to make herbal tea, or extract the natural essential oil, there are certain benefits you can look forward to.
Here are some of the health benefits associated with spearmint:
- It contains a natural compound called carvone which helps relieve digestive upset and other symptoms of indigestion including nausea, gas, and vomiting.
- It is rich in antioxidants which can help protect against and repair damage caused by harmful free radicals – free radicals lead to oxidative stress which is linked to conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
- It can help correct hormone imbalances which may benefit women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
- It may support improvements in learning and working memory.
- It has natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties which may help protect against foodborne illness and bad breath germs.
- It can be brewed into a tea that may help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes.
- It may help promote relaxation, reduce stress, relieve anxiety and improve sleep.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day this year than to start your very own herb garden at home? LAFCO’s art glass vessels are perfect for repurposing as plant containers – all you need is a little soil and your packet of spearmint seeds to get started. The fragrance of fresh spearmint can relieve stress and improve cognitive function, plus it pairs perfectly with other LAFCO herbal fragrances like Lavender Amber, Rosemary Eucalyptus and Mint Tisane.