to make: lavender experiment
 week 1 cut 
week 1 dried
 week 2 cut  week 2 dried  week 3 cut  week 3 dried  week 3 and five days cut  week 3 and five days dried  week 4 cut -- Don't cut it yet.  week 4 dried  week 5 cut -- Cut it now.  week 6 cut -- Cut it now.  The difference in buds between the second and sixth week (week 1 was too early and difficult to get buds off of). |
It was summer of 2005 and surprise, that stuff growing in my front yard is lavender. I wasn't sure when to cut the blooms to get the best smelling buds, and not being a person that can learn anything unless I do it myself, I decided to cut some each week and keep track.
After week 6 the plant was blooming all over and the bees were making sweet love to it. Not being one to ask to get stung I decided I had enough lavender and didn't cut anymore. We did a sniff test using coffee as our between week cleanser. Weeks 2 through 4 were deemed "weak". Week 4 and 5 days was "more floral" and "soapier". Week 5 was "more ripe", and week 6 "delicate yet lavendery". So there it is, cut when it looks like the picture for week 5 or 6. |
I absolutely love the smell of lavender, but I have allergies and a phobia of bees.
Comment by Emily — March 5, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
That's really good to know. Is it really hard to grow lavender?
Comment by Rachel — May 10, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
I love lavender and grow several different varieties in my gardens. It is easy. At the end of the season I cut as many buds as I can and create lavendar laundry bags that you can place in your dryer with your clean wash. It adds a wonderful smell and is a natural moth repellent! I also make hand made soaps with many different herbs from my garden including my lavender.
Kudos to you and this site. I'll be back often!
Comment by Caroline — May 24, 2007 @ 10:22 am
This is exactly what I needed!! A picture that shows me what a mature bloom looks like! Thanks a million!
Comment by Renee — June 21, 2007 @ 8:20 am
THANKS FOR THE PICTURES THEY HAVE TAUGHT ME ALOT,THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE CUT LAVENDER FOR DRYING SO HERE GOES I HOPE I GET IT RIGHT JUST GOT TO WAIT FOR THE RAIN TO STOP AND I AM OF.
Comment by PAT BENNETT — June 30, 2007 @ 4:46 am
Great information, have harvested lavender from my neighbors yard for 4 years and now have 3 plants of my own, with your information I now know when to harvest to get the max aromatic from the bloom.
Something keeps drawing me to lavender and each time I see a different type plant I must have it. Thanks again for you website
Comment by Sue — July 4, 2007 @ 8:49 am
I'll feel much more confident when I harvest my lavendar for the first time, thanks to your pictures. The other websites I'v found only DESCRIBE when to harvest - your pictures are worth a thousand words.
Comment by Ann-Marie — July 6, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
Thanks so much for the photos and info. This is a gem of a resource--having the photos is invaluable.
Comment by Steph — July 10, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Exactly what I needed to know - a couple months ago when I was making soap. Now I'm set for next year.
Comment by Vicki — September 21, 2007 @ 12:35 pm
WOW Lavender wasn't one of my favourites until I learned about when to cut and dry it. You are exactly correct. Of course it depends where you live. Up here in the north (Canada) it can be around week 8 but the wait is well worth it. I hope that you will test and publish some herb maturity information as I love to use lemon dill, verbena and sage in my soaps. Any ideas?
Comment by Lina — December 29, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
Thanks for the pictures. I have two plants and they are just beginning to show their buds.
Looking forward to the drying stage.
Comment by Marie Bukowski — May 26, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
Yes, this was the very question I needed an answer to! Thank you:)
Comment by lilycobweb — June 4, 2008 @ 3:23 am
WHAT A GREAT WEBSITE! THANKS FOR ALL THE TIPS ON LAVENDER, I JUST CUT MINE AND HAVE IT HANGING TO DRY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Comment by THERESA — June 16, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
Thanks for the visuals - most helpful.
Comment by Curt in Poway — June 29, 2008 @ 11:12 am
Ditto to the pix. Bless you for taking the time to share your experiment!
I'm having "Girl' sleep-over" this week- and one of our activities will be to make lavender bouquets with the harvest from my purple and someone else's white lavender (is that an oxymoron??). In years past, when it was time to harvest my plants, my neighbor and I made bouquets (tied with purple satin ribbon) for gifts -- hers were "natural" (she just grabbed a bunch and tied) and quick to assemble --mine were more precise (heads organized neatly, with stems blunt-trimmed) and lots more work. I suspect the recipients liked them both just as well. :-) The "pros" who sell commercially hang their bouquets upside down for 1 week in a cool, dry area. I've seen bouquets wrapped in small battenburg lace doilies, tied with 2" satin ribbon beautiful!
Last year I made Lavender Rice Bags (1 lb rice + 2 cups of lavender buds) for gifts. Works like a heat pad (or to cudedle up with on a cold winter night) microwave the bag for 1 minute on high = a scented heat pad. Inner bag is like a pillow cover, stitched closed to hold the lavender buds. Outer bag is like a pillow case - can be removed and washed. I just used fabrics I had laying around-- Most anything works for the outer bag - from sheets to lace (be certain fabric can be microwaved). Use a dense fabric like sheets for the inner bag.
I also made little gift sachets out of leftover satin-- 2" satin ribbon also works well, but is much more expensive.
I've created a 2" x 2" gift card to tie onto the sachets (with fine, glitzy ribbon) - using business card stock folded in half. Front has a nice sketch of lavender - inside it says "Fresh English lavender from Jean's garden." All these items make wonderful, personal gifts!
Comment by Jean — June 30, 2008 @ 10:14 pm
Thank You for the pictures! My plant(1) is about 6'x5' and although I have taken stems each year I am never sure when to pick! Your pics are invaluable and will help immensely. Now maybe I can harvest at the right time, which is getting very close.
Comment by Dianne from Northern Michigan — July 9, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
Thank you so much for the extremely helpful info. I had never harvested from my field of lavender plants before (16 of them). Now that I have started my small business of doing favors for weddings, showers, etc., I want to harvest the lavender and put them into organza bags and accent with ribbon flowers or pearl sprays. Hopefully I will have customers to enjoy this lovely product I am about to make. The plus side will be that I can market these little sachet bags for almost half the price that I find advertised on other web sites.
Thank you again for your wonderful and precise description of harvesting the lavender.
Karen
Comment by Karen — July 13, 2008 @ 10:14 am
Hi!
Great site here. I just wanted to throw this out there. A native American friend told me to harvest it during the full moon phase. I don't know if it works, but thought it might lead to another fun experiment...
Comment by Lisa — July 28, 2008 @ 3:52 am
I took an herbal class (http://moonshadowherbs.com/index.html)
and got to sniff a half acre worth of lavender! Heady stuff. She said to harvest herbs before the plant flowered and flowers before the buds open, for best concentration of essential oils.
Comment by Lora — July 31, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
i thank you for infomationon lavender it is my favarite it is so fresh breath taking , thank you so much i can now harvest for my draws an wardrobes love it
Comment by ann — August 12, 2008 @ 7:07 am
at this moment in time i am having dinner with my husband who is not with the flower kingdom an denies the smell of flowers but to me they mean everything happiness, death ,living .i can tell which is which an i think lavender is the most soothing fragrance going so if it is surviveing in your garden look after the plant, it will it will bring you tranquil harmony and plenty of restfull sleep at night it has many powers to the mind minor ones of course
Comment by ann — August 12, 2008 @ 8:00 am
I would like to repeat what the others have said a big "THANK YOU" for the photos , they are very helpful. I just today had my 1st harvest. I have 104 english lavender bushes in my back yard and it was time to get busy, thanks again!!
Comment by shelly — August 12, 2008 @ 10:09 am