How to harvest lavender for tea

Video How to Harvest Lavender for TeaLavender is undoubtedly one of the most loved herbs in the back garden, and for good reason. Not only attractive and fragrant, this versatile plant also thrives in the most difficult backyard conditions. To ensure that lavender grows nicely, lavender has three basic needs to grow – good drainage, relatively poor soil, and plenty of solar energy.

Where lavender grows

In her Diary in a French Herb Backyard, Geraldene Holt describes the best wild lavender’s common habitat: “The thin patches of soil on Midi’s limestone terrain support dense flora The theater is called a garrigue. Lavender and thyme grow wild on steep and craggy mountain slopes. They develop small, strongly scented leaves that, as they struggle against the elements, push and thread their wilted roots into crevices between rocks. ” These are the heightened circumstances that domesticated lavender aspires to. My own flowerpots are planted towards a south-facing wall, catching the prevailing wind, in a sunny, rocky, unimproved land where various plants would struggle to survive. Lavenders will tolerate pretty much any soil condition as long as they are not waterlogged, however for best results a well-drained, reasonably good soil is fine. English lavender copes very well in containers, thanks to its ability to withstand windy positions, English lavender makes a great low-rise conventional hedge or barrier – compact choice ‘Hidcote’ is an effective alternative. In small gardens, a hedge of lavender runs along each side of the trail leading to the entrance, where the scent and color of the vegetation will be absolutely appreciated, is common. . For a similar reason, planting lavender next to the seating area can also be an important thought. Renowned horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll, who developed the beloved ‘Munstead’ lavender, cherished this blend. In complementary trendy gardens, lavender’s soft shade and casual behavior are ideal for calming ugly landscapes. If the basic blue-violet varieties don’t suit your color scheme, you can also spot white-flowered variants that correspond to ‘Alba’ and its smaller cousin, ‘Nana Alba’ ‘ (beautiful for the border) and pink for ‘Hidcote Pink’ and ‘Loddon Pink’ respectively.

How to grow and care for lavender

Lavender will be started from seed, however it takes a while as germination can take many months. A neater option for propagating lavender is by cuttings, which helps the plant mature a lot earlier and ensures that it is likely to resemble the guardian plant. Check out our article on How to Effectively Stem Herbs for more data. Pruning lavender in cooler climates is a two-step process, whether for the specific person or for a hedge. The flower stems will be harvested while the flowers are in bloom or cut off after the flowers fade to maintain the neatness of the plant. Trim foliage over winter to protect new strides from frost, then in spring prune fairly coarse vegetation to prevent them from turning long-legged and bare at the base. However, it is essential not to cut the previous wood, as it will not grow back from this spot. In hot climates, all pruning should be done during the fall. The return attraction of lavender is that it has a limited lifespan. Annual pruning as described above is advisable to maintain it bushy, however even with the most careful care the vegetation can be changed after 5-10 years. Still, it was a good choice to check out a unique pick – I recently dug out a previously withered lavender plant of dubious origin from my backyard and changed it to ‘Munstead ‘, this plant has almost no extra green leaves. It is settling steadily, regardless of the most recent dry spell.

How to Harvest and Use Lavender

Read more: How to make chai lavender vanilla tea is, in fact, famous for its aroma. Harvesting and drying lavender is simple – simply cut off the stems earlier than when the flowers are in bloom, and while you’ve harvested as much as you want, tie the stalks together and secure them at one point. sheltered dry place. After a few weeks, the flowers may be completely dry and will be gently shaken from the stem into the container. Retail them in a covered jar in a cool, slightly dark place, or put them right away in a bag to keep towels, sheets, or clothes that smell like candy and keep moths away. If you suffer from insomnia, try tucking the packets into your pillow right away so the soothing scent can help you drift off to sleep. It is often included as an ingredient in Herbes de Provence blends, and the leaves are to be chopped and added to certain sauces or used in shortbread biscuits – in case you have any of these recipes. Any cool lavender recipes, feel free to share them in the feedback section below. , you don’t have to reap the lavender. It’s nice to look at, has a pleasant scent when you sit next to it or move past it, and bees are irresistibly attracted to it so do an important job pollinating the yard. your back! By Ann Marie Hendry. Read more: How to make shroom tea