How To Properly Harvest Lavender From Your Garden To Create Beautiful Bouquets Or Level Up Your Culinary Concoctions
Once lavender is harvested from your garden, the popular perennial plant will bring a soothing, fresh scent into your home.
Whether you’re looking to create fragrant bouquets or add the herb to culinary concoctions, knowing how and when to harvest ensures that you get the highest quality blooms. Here’s how to properly harvest your lavender so you can enjoy it to the fullest!
Tools
Harvesting lavender is really quite simple. First of all, gather the right tools for the job. You’ll need clean shears or scissors, rubber bands or twine, and a basket for collecting the lavender. You can also use a sheet or towel for the bundling and storing process, but that’s optional.
If you’re using rubber bands to bundle your lavender, try to get your hands on some UV-resistant ones since they hold up better against the sun.
When To Harvest
The best time to harvest lavender is in early spring. This way, the plant will have enough time to produce another set of blooms that you can harvest in early to mid-summer. Aim to harvest lavender from the late morning to mid-day.
When you harvest too early in the morning, the plant will still have moisture from the morning dew. Moisture can lead to mold growth. On the other hand, if you wait too long to harvest, the sun causes the oils from the plant to dry up.
If you plan to use the lavender in fresh bouquets, harvest when half of the flowers on the stem are open. For dried bundles or dried floral arrangements, harvest the lavender when the first blossoms begin to open so you can have the most color. The longer the flowers sit in the sun, the more their color fades.
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For tea or culinary uses, harvest before the colors become vibrant. At that time, the bud should be intact so you can have maximum flavor and potency. If you’re using lavender to make essential oils, you’ll need to wait to harvest until the flowers are fully open. This makes it easier to extract the oils.
How To Harvest
The first step is to look inside the lavender plant and locate the woody part of the stem. With your shears or scissors, cut about two to three inches above the woody stem, being careful not to crush any flowers. Do not cut into the woody stem because it may not produce new growth again.
Then, place the cut lavender in a basket. A first-year lavender bush will usually generate enough flowers to make one or two bunches of lavender. A fully mature plant may provide you with eight to 10 bunches.
How To Dry And Store Lavender
If drying your lavender, gather them into small bundles that are no more than one to 1.5 inches in diameter. Bundles that are too big run the risk of growing mold in them. Next, hang the bundles upside down in a cool space with good airflow. It takes about a week for lavender to dry completely.
You can tell it’s done drying when the bright green stems turn brown and brittle. Finally, store the dried lavender in an airtight container for future use or leave it out as home decor.
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