[bucknjude]

I planted lavender for the first time this year. The plants have grown quickly and have many blooms. Could someone tell me at what stage I pick these blooms to dry for their fragrances. They are in different stages of blooming.

[firmbeliever]

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Harvesting and Drying Herbs | Tips & Techniques
Lavender-(P)- The whole flower spikes are cut just before the florets are fully open and when color and fragrance are at their best.
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Lavender Sachets and Pillows for a peaceful nights sleep.
Lavender Sachets
When harvesting lavender to make your sachets do so on a dry day and in the morning when the flowers on the lavender plant are not quite open. Cut the bloom stock 3 - 4 inches below the flower head.

To dry the lavender, make small bunches of 8 - 12 stocks fastening them together with an elastic band. Hang upside down in a dry place out of direct sunlight. The drying process will take 2 - 3 weeks. Once dry; remove flowers by stripping the stems through your fingers. Store in a glass container with a lid in a cool dark place until ready for use.

Lavender Pouch
Materials (makes 1)
6-inch square or circle of material. Cotton or muslin fabric is best
1/4 cup (more or less) of dried lavender flowers
12 inches of ribbon to match material

Place lavender in middle of material. Gather material around lavender and tie with ribbon. Hang in your closet or put in with your linens.

Lavender Pillow
Materials:(makes 1)
Top - 8-inch square of material. Chose any type you wish.
Back - 8-inch square of material. This should be a cotton or muslin as it breathes; however, using the same material as the top will work
Two 6 inch square muslin or cotton or cheesecloth
1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried lavender flowers.

Pillow:
Sew 6-inch squares on three sides. Fill with lavender and sew fourth side.
Pillow Case:
With good sides facing each other, sew the 8-inch squares on three sides. Press and clip corners. Fold open side back 1/4 inch (wrong sides of material together) to make a casing and press. Fold casing again and sew in place. Press. DO NOT SEW END SHUT. Turn pillowcase right side out. Press. Attach 2 or 3 small snaps evenly across opening. Insert lavender pillow. Snap closed. Place under your pillow for a good night's sleep or in your linen closet between the sheets.
NOTE: The end of the pillow case is not sewn shut in order for you to replace the lavender pillow with a fresh pillow in the future or, renew the scent with a drop or two of Lavender essential oil.

Please click these links for more Pot pourri Recipes, Slumber Sachet Recipes, & using lavender to make a Wreath.

If you would like to learn the health benefits of lavender please visit Tao Herb Farm
Kalyx.com - Complete Aromatherapy Oils & Supplies

Lavender Essential Oil ½ oz

Lavender oil is used in baths, room sprays, toilet waters, perfumes, colognes, massage oils, sachets, salves, skin lotions and oils. It has a sweet, balsamic, floral aroma which combines well with many oils including citrus, clove, patchouli, rosemary, clary sage and pine. Aromatherapy benefits: balancing, soothing, normalizing, calming, relaxing, healing.

Essential, absolute and resin oils are volatile, fragrant materials extracted from the root, bark, wood, seed, fruit, leaf or flower of a single plant. The plants used to produce these oils are grown on certified organic fields and are third-party certified by Quality Assurance International; no synthetic chemicals are used in growing or processing them. Steam distillation and cold pressing are used to extract the essential oil from the plant. Essential oils and absolutes are very potent and should always be used sparingly and in conjunction with a reliable reference. Essential oils contain the odor, taste and medicinal properties of the plant itself, but in very concentrated form, with no base oil, alcohol, water or dilutants added.
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How to Dry Lavender Flowers for Sachet | eHow.com
Introduction
Lavender, known for its power to calm, can be easily harvested and dried to scent pillows and bed linens. When harvested at the right time, lavender is a fairly easy flower to dry and collect for use in sachets.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You'll Need
Scissors or pruning shears
Rubber bands or small gauge wire
Cool dry place for drying
Plastic bags or storage containers
Steps
1Harvest lavender flowers one stem at a time by cutting 6 to 8 inches below the bloom cluster, or just above the woody part. This allows enough length to bundle the flowers together for hanging.
2Cut lavender when the first few flowers are fully open.
3Bundle lavender stems together with a rubber band or small gauge wire. Bunch about a dozen together.
4 Hang upside down in a cool, dark place to dry. This usually takes about 2 or 3 weeks, depending on humidity.
5Carefully remove the bundles from their hanging rack, trying not to disturb the dried blossoms. They fall off pretty easily.
6Shake bundle into a large plastic bag or container. The lavender flowers should fall off easily.
7Keep the container covered and in a cool dry place until the flowers are ready to be made into sachets.
Tips & Warnings
Lavender plants should be pruned once a year after blooming even if the flowers aren't going to be used. Shape lavender plants into a mound. This will allow the plants to keep that nice, round appearance they are famous for.
Pruning is important for healthy flowers the next year. Prune away all dead wood that did not produce blossoms.
Plant lavender in full sun where it can develop all the way around. A plant that is too close to a wall will grow towards the sun and will fall over with too much weight to one side.
Replace old plants when they get too large to manage pruning properly.
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Hope the above helps... :)

[paulaqqq8]

My sister has a long row of lavender growing in her yard and whenever I go to visit, I want to throw myself in it because it smells so good. But, I don't lay down in her lavender for a few reasons. First, it's pinchy and I would get scratched up. Second, because my sister would smack me! She loves her lavender plants...

When I saw the Made from Earth "Lavender Calm" Body lotion, I wanted it right away! I found it on the internet at http://www.madefromearth.com/.

It has a beautiful scent. It smells so fresh and clean - and organic! I love that it is chemical free because I love living a holistic lifestyle.

A very nice gift for a lavender lover.