Lavender Harvest

The first 2008 lavender harvest has begun!

We grow mostly the Provence type of lavender in our flowerbeds. This is perhaps the best year ever for the plants. We had originally planted them in the rose garden about 10 years ago. But we quickly found out that they were not very happy in that location because it lacked good drainage. So we moved the plants to the bed near the garage entrance where there is a nice, gentle slope. They have thrived ever since their move.

I’m jumping into the stalks along with the big bumble bees, snipping away handfuls at a time. After I create the bundles, I put them on an old-fashioned drying rack set up in the garage. I’ll harvest the flower blossoms after the bundles dry.

I am also making a few lavender wands for my dresser drawers and to give away to friends. It’s not difficult to do the wands, just a little time consuming. I use assorted colors of 3/8” ribbon and 7 lavender stalks for each wand. I taught myself how to do it and you can too if you don’t know how! Here is an easy tutorial.