How to Harvest and Store Lavender

Lavender has it all: silvery gray foliage; long spikes of flowers in shades of pink, blue, white or deep purple; and, of course, its signature aroma. Lavender also ranks high on the list of drought-resistant plants.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Drying Screens Or Racks
• Baskets
• Brown Paper Bags
• Garden Shears
• Gardening Gloves
• Twine

1. Harvest lavender spikes as soon as they bloom.

2. Cut lavishly. The more you prune lavender, the bushier and denser the plants will grow.

3. Dry lavender spikes on screens, or tie a half-dozen or so stems into bundles and hang them in a dark place with good ventilation. The darkness will help preserve the flowers' color; free circulation of air will keep the inner stems from turning moldy.

Tips & Warnings

• Though most people know lavender for its heady scent, its flowers can add a tangy sweetness to salads, desserts and vinegars. You'll find inspiration and recipes in many herbal cookbooks.

• If you lack a sufficiently dark place to dry lavender, put each bundle, stem ends up, into a brown paper bag, with a few dozen holes poked into the sides for air circulation. Tie the bag closed around the stems and hang in any well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight.