With its subtle scent and purple flowers, lavender is one of the favorite plants for home gardeners. But it is much more than just a beautiful, fragrant plant! It has a calming effect on the skin and mind, has healing properties and is one of the most useful ingredients you can use in your home. It is also very attractive to pollinators, which is always desirable in a sustainable garden. However, if you want to harvest and dry lavender for medicinal, culinary, or decorative purposes, you need to know how and when to do it. In this article, we will introduce you to the right methods, the right time and the different ways you can use lavender flowers.
Harvesting and drying lavender – which varieties are suitable
Before you get to harvesting your lavender flowers, let's take a step back to familiarize you with the appropriate varieties and their purpose. Real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), which is also one of the hardy lavender varieties and looks good both in the garden and on the balcony, is mainly used to flavor dishes (meat and desserts) and as a remedy for anxiety, insomnia and stomach problems . Their essential oil is high quality and very effective.
- Notice: Some cultivars of true lavender that have white or pink flowers are grown primarily for ornamental purposes.
Other varieties suitable for extracting lavender oil are lavender (Lavandula latifolia) and Provence lavender (Lavandula hybrida). The flowers of lavender (Lavandula stoechas), which is often cultivated in plant pots, are a helpful remedy against moths in the wardrobe.
Now is also the time to find out how and when to collect lavender flowers. Use this guide to properly harvest and dry lavender so you get the best color and aroma from the flowers.
When should you harvest lavender flowers
The right time to harvest lavender is usually between mid-July and early August. So, determine your harvest time depending on how you want to use it.
- If you want to make dried lavender bunches, harvest it early in the season when the first lavender flowers open.
- To pick lavender for tea, collect the flowers before they fully open.
- If you want to make a fresh lavender bouquet, cut the stems when at least half of the flowers are open. Note: After you cut the stems, more buds will bloom.
- To harvest lavender flowers for essential oil, wait until most of the flowers are open.
- If you want to use lavender for cooking, harvest it just before the flowers open and dry the buds before using. Ignore the leaves – they are not recommended for cooking.
When to harvest kohlrabifind out here!
Tips for harvesting lavender – How to do it right
Lavender has the best scent and the best active ingredients just before flowering in summer. This means that the optimal time for harvesting is when the first flowers open but the others are still closed. Follow these tips on when and how much to prune lavender to stimulate new growth.
Harvest lavender on a sunny day, after the morning dew has dried. Note that no part of the plant should be exposed to rain within 24 hours before harvest. Harvesting lavender plants when they are wet increases the chances of them rotting and fungus forming on the picked stems. For this reason, it is extremely important not to start collecting until the plant is completely dry.
Use sharp and clean tools for picking lavender. It is important to collect the medicinal plant with sharp, clean tools so that it can heal quickly. Garden scissors or simply large scissors are suitable.
Cut two-thirds of the plant's height. Pick the lavender so it will regrow by cutting off no more than two-thirds of the plant's height. Avoid cutting into the woody part.
Cutting lavender correctly – what mistakes should you definitely avoid?find out here!
Collect lavender in bunches. Tie rubber bands around your wrist to make it easier to collect each handful of cut lavender. Gather about 100 stems per tie and secure them tightly.
Keep the collected lavender away from the sun. Place the cut lavender stems in a shady place to retain as much of the flower color and aromatic oil as possible.
Harvesting and Drying Lavender – Once you’ve completed the first part of the task, it’s time to dry. You will immediately find out what methods there are for drying lavender!
Drying lavender – what methods are there (advantages and disadvantages)
Now that you've harvested fresh lavender, let's talk about three different ways to dry it. Which method you choose is entirely up to you. We'll also look at some of the pros and cons of each method.
Hang the bundles upside down to dry...
The easiest way to dry fresh lavender is to hang it upside down. Gather a few bunches of lavender, secure the stems with twine or a rubber band, and hang them upside down.
- Notice: If you have picked a lot of lavender at once, it is better to tie and hang several small bouquets than one large one. Large, dense bunches of lavender receive less airflow, dry out more slowly, and are more susceptible to mold growth. For the same reason, do not tie the straps too tightly. They should be tied tightly enough to prevent them from falling apart, but not insanely tight on the stems.
Hang the lavender bundles in a warm, dry place with good air circulation. A fan nearby is a big help. An added bonus would be if the place is dark and there is no direct sunlight so that the lavender maintains its rich, characteristic color.
The time needed for complete drying can vary from a few weeks to more than a month depending on the climate. To check if the lavender is dry, break off one of the stems. If it dries completely, it will break in two, otherwise it will simply bend.
- A notice:Of course, this method works best in a warm, dry climate or under controlled indoor conditions where the lavender plant can dry completely.
... or dry them in airy baskets
This method of drying lavender is similar to the first, without the need to turn the bundles upside down. Some traditional herb collectors simply place their fresh herbs and flowers in airy baskets to dry. You can dry entire lavender stems or just the buds this way, depending on how you plan to use the plant.
This method also requires warm, dry conditions and time. Arrange the lavender stems in the basket so that there is good airflow between them.
Dry lavender in a dehydrator
Another way to dry lavender plant is to use a dehydrator. This process is also very simple, but much faster than passive drying at room temperature. However, you should avoid overheating lavender to preserve the highest essential oil content and therapeutic effects. So set your dehydrator to the lowest temperature (no more than 38°C).
To dry lavender in the dehydrator, follow these steps:
- Harvesting and drying lavender – After harvesting the fresh lavender flowers as we described at the top of this article, cut off the excess stems and place the flowers on trays in the dehydrator.
- Dry the flowers at a low temperature, not higher than 38°C, to preserve the beneficial properties of the plant.
- Complete drying takes 24 to 48 hours, depending on the lavender variety, size of the flowers and the device used. To check if they are completely dry, try breaking open a large bud. It should feel brittle.
Once the buds are dry, store them in an airtight container until they have served their final purpose.
How to store dried lavender flowers and stems
Harvesting and drying lavender – that’s now behind you! But how do you store the dried flowers and stems? One option is to leave the flower buds on the long stem intact - this option is ideal if you want to use the lavender for decorative purposes in dried bouquets or dried flower arrangements. The other option is to remove the flowers from the stem and store them in an airtight container to retain maximum freshness, flavor and aroma. Store the container in a cool, dark and dry place.
What can you use lavender oil for? You can find 20+ practical uses for essential oils in everyday lifefind here!
Ideas and tips for use
There are dozens of creative ways to use dried lavender! It is used for aromatherapy. The effect of lavender oil is that it has been proven to relieve anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia. With its natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and pain-relieving properties, dried lavender is ideal for use in home remedies and personal care products.
Its scent is also known to repel harmful insects.
Not to be forgotten is its culinary use. You can add it to your tea or champagne (depending on what kind of day you've had), to desserts, or to meat dishes. Whatever you choose, the lavender will enhance the taste. As you can see, harvesting and drying lavender is very easy and rewarding. We bet you're already grabbing the scissors and heading for the door!
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