July is for Lavender.....



I always look forward to July, the month my Lavender comes into bloom. It's lovely fragrance permeates throughout my garden. For harvesting the flower, look closely at your plant. You will notice that the stem has 3 colors. The top is darker green, the middle will be lighter green and the bottom brown. Cut just above the lighter green area. Do not cut the brown area. This is where the plant will regenerate. Acording to  http://www.aromatherapy-at-home.com/information-about-lavender.html the best time to harvest lavender for sachets and potpourri is when the flowers on the stalks are starting to open. They advise that Lavender should be harvested in the morning when temperatures are cooler, as the heat of the day causes the fragrant oils to dissipate. The faster lavender dries, the better the colors of the flowers and the fragrance will be preserved, so try to harvest them after the dew has dried from the stalk. The lavender is ready to cut when it looks like this (see picture below)



Picture courtesy http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/lavender/

As already mentioned Lavender flowers when harvested are great for making your own  sachets. However try something a little different by making a Lavender wand. I previously posted instructions on how to make a Lavender Wand back in 2008. If you want to give it a try use this link  http://frenchvanillahome.blogspot.com/2008/08/making-lavender-wand.html.

There are also a number of "Lavender Festivals" held during the month of July. On Vancouver Island a great one to attend is held on July 30th at the "Damali Lavender Farm" in the Cowichan Valley. Check out the details at  http://www.damali.ca/pages/events/. I plan on attending this years event. I hope the day is warm and sunny (which we haven't had many of these days) so I can sit and enjoy sipping on their "Lavender infused Lemonade"!