In His Presence

Lessons on Lavendar

How I am thinking spring already!  Here in New Jersey, we have had some unseasonably warm days. I love gardening.  It is a beauty from the Lord that I thoroughly enjoy and find it a great reaxation for me.  I have made the raised flower bed in the back my iris garden.  It has a shepards crook that can hold two hanging baskets and a mosaic iris pattern bird bath. In the other little flower bed in the back are brown eyed susans and on either end are more purple iris'. 

I have always wanted lavendar.  Unfortunately, I do not know much about growing or carring for lavendar.  I found a wonderful site, Cape Cod Lavendar Farm, that offered some wonderful information on the care for not only growing lavendar, but also caring for freshly harvested lavendar. I would love to share what they have written about this.   

Tips for Growing Lavendar:

   1. Plant your lavendar from March until late October. (Fall is the best time to plant).

   2. Once your lavendar has bloomed, you may start to harvest when the first bud starts to open.  This way, you will capture the best color for drying. You may continue to harvest lavendar until the flowers start to pass because they become more fragrant as they mature.

   3. If you have chosen to harvest the lavendar on your plant then you may trim your plant a bit as you harvest to keep it shapely.  If you choose to enjoy your slowers on the plant and not harvest them, then you should rim your plants back in the fall (mid October) by 1/3. Keeping your lavendar cut back prevents too much woodiness and enciurages new growth.

   4. Plant your lavendar in a well drained location with plenty of sun.  You will need to sweeten your soil with lime if it is too acidic.  Lavendar likes a ph of 6-7. Lavendar only needs to be watered until it gets establishe (about 2 weeks).  After that, let Mother Nature take over unless there is a severe drought. 

Tips for Caring for Freshly Harvested Lavendar:

   1. Approximate drying tume is two weeks.

   2. There are many varieties of lavendarand they differ in some way. Longer stems, plumper buds, different shades of color (lavendar, pink and white), their frangrance and flavor will vary as well and they will dry a little differently.

   3. Do not place in water.

   4. Place your fresh lavendar in a container or hang upside down to dry. For better color, make sure your bunch has dry air circulation and is not in direct light (a bedroom clothes closet or linen closet works well and will leave a nice scent on clothing or linen).  Humid air promotes mildew.

   5. Some of the buds will wilt. This is natural. Hanging upside down will help keep stems straight.

   6. Gentle "tickling" of the buds and stems as they are drying will help keep moisture out.

   7. Your fresh lavendar will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. You may lose some of the small buds, but they can be saved for a sachet.

   8. As the lavendar dries, its flavor and fragrance will increase. To renew scent, just gently pinch buds.

   9. Use fresh sprigs as garnish for desserts, salads, main dishes, or for crafting for sachets or soap making.

For more information about lavendar or for purchasing lavender, go on line and vist Cape Cod Lavendar Farm.

lavender

{ 11:26 , Wednesday, February 6, 2008 } { Posted by mccrjill }

I love the smell of lavender. I bought a plant last summer & kept it in the pot it came in. All winter it has been in the kitchen east window & it still looks beautiful. I'm glad to know the info you posted. Jill