Hello Everyone. I hope your week is going well. This week I have been busy at My Cozy Corner.
It's harvest time again for my lavender plant. What an amazing plant. The plants' pungent purple stalks rippling in the breeze, releasing a fragrance that soothes the soul.
In all its purple glory, lavender-a member of the mint family-is closely related to rosemary, sage and thyme, and its flowers and buds are edible both fresh and dry.
The type of Lavender I grow is 'Grosso' Lavandula x intermedia Grosso.
I love the long stems and the flowers of violet blue and darker violet calyces.
I have bundled the lavender with a rubber band, and as the lavender dries the rubber band will hold the bundle together. Because it's so dry in our area I harvested the lavender in the morning and stored it in an open box and the next day it was almost dry. I spread out clean paper and bundled 20 stems of lavender together. The loose buds left on the paper I scooped up and put into a plastic bag for culinary uses.
Can you see the plastic bag in the basket? The buds in the box I put into the round jar.
When the bundles were wrapped I trimmed the lavender below the rubber band and put the stems into the other jar to use in the fireplace.
The buds in the jar were collected from the box where the loose lavender was stored until the next day.
In the next few weeks I will be busy making:
Lavender
- Soap
- Sachets
- Bath Salts and Tub Teas
- Candles
- Water
The clean and dust free lavender will be used for:
Lavender
- Lemonade
- Tea
- Lavender-infused simple syrup
- Homemade lavender sugar crates a mysteriously fragrant sweetener that can enhance countless recipes
Lavender is also very decorative. This bundle of lavender in my french flower can will last for weeks.
A wonderful addition to the patio, with all the fragrance from the buds. If it is bumped ~ It's a bonus
Fresh, clean smelling scent will fill the summer air. You can imagine the scent of fresh laundry hanging on the clothes line.
I put the lavender stems in a basket with a fabric liner by the fireplace in the winter. As I light the fireplace
I throw a small handful of stems into the fire and a wonderful fragrance is released.
I throw a small handful of stems into the fire and a wonderful fragrance is released.
Even the bee's love lavender.
The scent of fresh crushed lavender is a soothing dose of aromatherapy stress relief. Lavender relieves anxiety and tension naturally.
Oh, how I love to make a mosaic. I created two for this post and I couldn't choose which one I wanted to publish, so I've published both. One on Top and This one.
Have you enjoyed your visit about the uses of a Lavender Plant? I hope so.
I will be joining some wonderful folks and sharing my Lavender Plant in Blogland.
Please come along~We will have a great time.
Thursday
StoneGable for Tutorial Tips and Tidbits Thursday
Friday
Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Saturday
Natasha In OZ for Say G' Day Saturday
Sunday
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday
Monday
Little Red House for Mosaic Monday
and
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
See you next week! My Sweetheart and I will be celebrating 52 year's of marriage on July 17, 2012.
An Anniversary Tablescape is the order of the Day! Thank you for your wonderful comments.
xo
Betty
Purple Glory Indeed! I'm so envious of your lavender and I can smell the heavenly aroma!
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you have such an abundant harvest! Have fun with the lavender, it's truly an amazing scent:@)
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful. I love lavender!
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a large bundle of your lavendar! Actually have looked for some to buy and have not had any luck.
ReplyDeletePretty mosiac!
Glad you can grow it.
I love lavender and have several varieties in my yard but have found that Grosso does the best for me in Central Georgia.
ReplyDeleteI've found that it's a hard variety to find in nurseries. Want to try to root some. If you've done lavender propagation, please post about it. Thanks, Dawn
I love lavender and you post was just so inspiring! You have so many wonderful ideas! I think I just may go out and cut some in my garden to dry today.
ReplyDeleteAngela
I would think of dried lavender for decorative purposes and perhaps sachets but never knew about all of this! What a wonderful post and I love the photographs...so beautiful
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want to go buy about 50 lavender plants ! :) Wait. We are having a drought. And it's hot. And I am sick of watering every day. NEXT SPRING THEN!!! :) Seriously I really enjoyed your post :)
Happy anniversary! Your lavender is absolutely breathtaking! What a blessing to be surrounded by such a beautiful and fragrant bloom. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYour lavender is beautiful. I love growing it too.
ReplyDeleteDee
Simply delicious! I can smell them at my computer!
ReplyDeleteahhhhhh!! we LOVE lavender! we always have a lavender cooking class in august ~ got any good recipes to share? loved the idea of putting the lavender stems in the fireplace ~ bet that smells devine!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing all your photos of the lavender. It's such a wonderful fragrance.
ReplyDeleteI have just been in lavender heaven! Our winters allow us only to grow successfully 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead' so we don't get those lovely long stems that you have. The bees have been humming over mine since it flowered.
ReplyDeleteJudith
Your lavender is beautiful. How wonderful to have so many plants. Love all the different uses for this lovely perennial.
ReplyDeleteMary Alice
I wish Lavender like yours would grow here. I'd be in Lavender heaven if I could harvest so much.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. You've made me wish I would've planted lavender. Next year, for sure. I'm going to bookmark this post for future reference. I'm your newest follower (I think this is my first time here.
ReplyDeleteThis is the second post this morning I've read about lavender!! I've tried several times to grow it in Missouri, but I have only had it last a couple of years... This year I picked up a start from a local herb grower at the Farmers' Market so hopefully someday I'll have a harvest like yours!
ReplyDeleteHi Betty: What a great post, filled with wonderful ideas for using lavender. I like that you use the stems in the fireplace--nothing goes to waste. Take care--have a fabulous weekend and anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI just have a few lavender plants. Three are brand new, so not harvesting from them yet. So far I've just used it for my own purposes, but someday.......
ReplyDeleteHi Betty, This is a great post! I really enjoyed it. I hope you will share how you make your soaps, etc. You must have quite a large stand of lavender to be able to do so many things with it! Again, what a great post! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have two lavender plants and I am in love. It is bliss to water in the evenings. I have also used harvested pieces to make lavender oil. My Great Danes love to put their heads into the bush and chase the bees. In Arkansas, I have mine in pots and take them into the garage during the winter. Next year I may plant one in the yard and see if it can over winter.
ReplyDeleteI adore lavender harvest time -- buds for the kitchen and bundles and "wands" or "bottles" for the linen closet. There is nothing like your own lavender!
ReplyDeleteThe variety I grow here is provence -- it grows well with our summer heat and drought -- and our cold in the winter -- much better than other varieties.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I too love lavender!
ReplyDeleteLavender is one of my favorite garden scents. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos! ~~Rhonda
ReplyDeleteI am over gaga with lavender for now. Been to Lavender arm two weeks ago and yesterday we went to a Lavender Festival. I bought six lavenders and hope next year it will give me flowers. Does lavender hard to grow? Are they the same as the other flower or they need more care? ^_^ Thanks for sharing your lavender love it. ^_^
ReplyDeleteKim,USA
Lavender is such a wonderful plant with so many uses. Your pictures are beautiful and I especially like the pic with the bee!! Well done! Have a grand week! Cathy
ReplyDeleteSimply lovely... I'm wondering how much you grow as I've never had any luck with lavender. My sister brought be a bundle a few months ago and I have been enjoying it ever since.
ReplyDeleteLavender is my favorite - I use it in the sachets and pillows I make. I've tried and tried to grow my own, and although I should think it would grow well where I am, it doesn't! But I keep trying. Right now I have five struggling plants that have given me a handful of stems. Lucky you to have such a great harvest! ::Jill
ReplyDeleteLavender is absolutely my favorite garden flower. I have several bushes. The smell is glorious. When we went to France in 2005 one of my "must dos" was to go to the lavender fields - oh heaven!
ReplyDeleteHave you made lavender biscuits?? Loved your post. Have a wonderful week. Linking up to you through mosaic Monday.
So much lavender goodness!! Just gorgeous! I'm your newest follower (found you thru The Tablescaper) :)
ReplyDeleteSusan
must love junk
You have me dreaming of more lavender! The photos are so wonderful - Lavender is such a wonderful plant to grow - so rewarding! Happy Anniversary! I wish you very many, many more happy years! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday - your post will be featured in this evening's Home and Garden Thursday,
ReplyDeleteKathy
so many gorgeous pics!
ReplyDelete