Harvesting Lavender - What can I do with it all?

Harvesting Lavender - What can I do with it all? 

If you have been watching my stories on Instagram this week you will have seen me harvesting a large amount of lavender. I actually cut this all back at then end of September and its had the whole month of October and a bit extra to try. (usually needs around 4 weeks) In case you missed how to fry it , let me share the process with you again here. 

You cut the lavender with long stems (but not right into the woody part of the plant or you won't have any for next year!) 
I take some natural twine/string with me and some scissors so I can bunch them as I go (this saves time later)
I take a good handful of lavender for each bundle, tie all the stems together leaving a long tail of string. This tale is needed because when I bring them inside to dry I hang them up on a string washing line, so I tie the tails to the string line so they can hang down. This allows the air to circulate and stops them going mouldy.

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Mine get hung on a make do washing line in my garage (it has to be somewhere warm and dry) my garage is a bit more like a utility then a normal car garage you might envision. It has my tumble dryer in there so gets very warm and is as a result dry. Some people like to make little washing lines in airing cupboards or use specially bought dryers that they can keep in the house, office or workspace. Even a clothes airer would work.  
Make sure you leave space between the bunches and that the flowers are pointing down. This allows them to dry best. 
Top tip I like to put a sheet or hessian sack under as when they dry they will start to drop a few flowers. 

Now can you imagine the smell?! 

When dry you can strip the flower heads to collect your Lavender to use as you would like. I keep the stems and jute string in a bag ready to throw on the fire pit in the garden on the cold nights, the scent is still there and in the intense heat just sends little puffs of lavender out into the night air. 

I had so much lavender this year, I had to really think outside of the box on what I was going to do with it all.

I always make little pillows to go in drawers, cupboards, shoes/trainers and the car.  I like making soaps and bath scrubs with it in, natural confetti or potpourri and my favourite to stuff inside a teddy when they have a hole. (anyone who has kids will know how often a bear needs a teddy hospital!)

This year I have also thought of two other methods to use it with, I have documented my methods below for you. 

Lavender Infused Sugar

These make ideal gifts or treasures for you culinary cupboard. 


Put some sugar of choice into into a bowl, I like to use organic cane sugar like this one →

Add this mixture to your jar and close the lid tightly and leave for at last 28 days to infuse. The lavender can be left is in the sugar, rather than trying to remove it. It makes no odds and just adds to the flavour over time and the taste when cooing or baking. Some people like to us a food  processor on the lavender heads to reduce in size 

• Bake shortbread
• Add to lemonade 
• Homemade Chocolate
• Spinkle on fruit 
• Add to tea
• freeze in icecubes 

You will need an air tight jar (make sure it is washed and dry thoroughly before using) 

←Mix in your dried lavender heads (mine come straight from the plant well after I have dried them) but you can also purchase culinary lavender online. 


Some of my favourite things to add my lavender sugar to:

Lavender Infused Flower Water 

This is great for using to iron your bedding and cleaning around house. This water is not the same as using an essential oil but still very nice easy to make and very natural, as a result unless you add anything else to it , it has a short shelf life - in my experience no more than 2/3 weeks.

Take an air tight bottle make sure it is washed thoroughly

Take a large stock pot 

Inside put a clean washed house brick ( you can use anything else heatproof , this I have found is best method for balancing a bowl on)

Place a heat proof bowl on top of brick ( inside stock pot)

Put lavender buds/flowers around brick and fill with water ( not higher than brick or your bowl will float around)

Turn stock pot lid (usually glass) upside down and put on top of stock pot

Fill lid with ice

Gently simmer for 2-3 hours

You will need to decant water from lid as it melts - I use turkey baster ( don't waste it , it's fresh water! Freeze it again for next batch of floral water)

The condensation caused between heat inside and cold ice will be caught in the glass bowl

This is your floral water

Pour when cool and safe into air tight bottles 


As many of you know I am an aromatherapist and flower essence therapist. I think its important for me to remind you all here that the essential oils and flower essences are different and require other considerations and require further care when using. Please don't get them mixed up! 
Let me know how you get on and what ideas you have to use this years abundance of Lavender, in the comments below or over at Facebook or Instagram.