Lavender

[lavendersun]

I have a garden full of lavender. One variety looks really beautiful at the minute. Other than cutting to and putting it in the odd vase I don't do anything with it (apart from enjoy the smell/looking at it).

Any suggestions for something to do with it?

Dry it and make old-fashioned lavender bags for little pressies?

DD and I made lavender wands with ours a couple of years ago, the first was a bit tricky but soon got the hang of it.

I like those WhoKnows. Do they dry out nicely? I am wary of things going mouldy, which has happened before.

Will make bags, too, do I need to dry it before putting it in the bags or does it dry in the bags?

I tend to leave it on the bush till it's fairly dried out anyway, I think you might have problems with the stems snapping if you dried it cut. Also cut it on a hot dry day. Never had mould problems. I've never made bags, once I tried by dring it in bulk in the airing cupboard first but found the task of getting it off the stems overwhelmingly messy and smelly - I love the smell of lavender but it was enough to make me keel over. I ended up putting the entire stems in cut off tights in my drawers, easy but not attractive.

You can get those herb-stripper things, for thyme etc. That might make it easier? If you have some kind of hanging rack in your kitchen, you can dry it on there.

Ooh, I never thought of those. However, a bit of lateral thinking, and I've just dug out my wire strippers and am working my way through the stuff I harvested a few weeks ago steadily and without too much mess (on the patio table). Thank you.

www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/categorylist/dept/flowers-of-liberty_accessories-gifts_lavender-bags

:)