Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Pruning and harvesting lavender
• Method 2 of 2: Dry and use lavender
• Tips
• Warnings

Lavender is a beautiful flowering herb that grows as a shrub that gets bigger every year. A full-grown lavender bush yields 7-8 bunches of lavender, which can be dried and used in cooking or to make scented sachets or other items. Proper pruning and harvesting of lavender ensures a long-lived plant that can flower for decades, if you're lucky.

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Method 1 of 2: Pruning and harvesting lavender

1. Prune and harvest when the plant blooms. Pruning and harvesting lavender are basically the same thing - you remove the flowering stems from the shrub. This will encourage new root growth, keep the plant looking tidy and give you 1 - 8 bunches of fresh lavender flowers. Lavender should be cut when the flowers are just opening in the spring. This is the time when they are the most beautiful and fragrant.
   • Keep an eye on the lavender in the spring so that you can harvest just when the flowers are about to bloom.
   • If you cut lavender in the spring, the plant may have time to produce even more flowers for a second harvest.
2. Make a bunch of lavender. Use your hands to group together enough lavender stems so that you can hold them relaxed in your fist. This is one bunch of lavender. The stems are quite sturdy, so you can cut off the entire shrub without worrying about it breaking.
   • A one-year-old lavender shrub generally produces enough flowers for one or two bunches.
   • Lavender bushes are fully grown after three years. Then they produce about 8-10 bunches of lavender.
3. Prune the lavender about 5 cm above the wood. If you look closely at a lavender bush, you can see that it has sturdy, woody branches with green stems above the ground. Pruning the woody part of the plant can damage the plant. Give the plant room by pruning about two inches above the end of the woody part.
   • The best tool for pruning lavender is a harvesting knife. This is a slightly curved blade with a serrated tip. If you don't have one on hand, you can also use pruning shears.
   • If you are using a harvesting knife, hook it around a bunch of lavender and pull the knife towards you, cutting off the stems.
   • Continue to harvest until all flowers have been cut and the remaining shrub has a neat bulbous shape.
   • Cut after the dew has dried and before the heat of the sun has released too many essential oils (you'll want to keep those to keep your home smelling wonderful).
4. Cut the lavender in order of blooming. The first harvest is at the beginning of the flowering cycle. As the shrub produces more flowers over the course of the season, trim when needed. Some smaller varieties of lavender flower in batches, which must be harvested at the right time to encourage reflowering. In general, lavender will respond just like any other flowering plant. If they are stripped of their flowers early enough, a new flower will grow at the base of the flower, allowing you to harvest more than once a year.
   • The flowers should be ready to be harvested again after 2 weeks to a month; If new flower formation slows down (to about 1 month), harvest one last time.
5. Remove any dead leaves. Prune away any dead branches, along with the long, thin twigs and other plant debris. You are almost always "pruning" to harvest, but sometimes it is necessary to prune off unsightly parts of the plant at the end of the season. Do not cut the woody part of the shrub.

Method 2 of 2: Dry and use lavender

1. Dry the lavender in bunches or on grids. You can hang them upside down and let them dry in a cool dark place in the house, or dry the lavender spread out on grates outside in the sun. The latter method does affect the color of the dried lavender, as the sun bleaches the flowers.
2. Store in a cool, dark place. This protects the lavender from sun and heat, which ensures the longest possible shelf life.
3. If desired, remove the flowers from the stems. The variety with smaller flowers gives the finest end product, but is the most laborious. To remove the flowers from their stems, place the lavender between two pieces of 30 x 60 cm plywood. Crush and roll the stems between the two boards. Sieve the crushed lavender and collect the flowers.
4. Use lavender in cooking and in hobby projects. Now is the time to start using the lavender. You can put the dried flowers in vases to decorate your home, use flowers to make fragrance sachets, or make delicious confection with your harvest. Here are a few ideas:
   • Make lavender soap.
   • Add a few tablespoons of lavender to cookie dough to make lavender cookies.
   • Make lavender oil to make your home smell like these flowers.

Tips

• New growth takes place in the spring. Do not overwater. Lavender should be in full sun. When the twigs start to sprout and branch again, you can apply a light (extra) pruning (of the branches you pruned last fall) to make the flowering tops branch even more.
• You can cut the twigs that you have pruned away. Put them in a container with soil, water them occasionally, then they should start to grow.

Warnings

• Watch your fingers. The sharper the secateurs, the better.