How to dry lavender

It's autumn time at Lavender Row and the grosso we planted last spring are giving us a last flush of flowers before bedding down for the winter. So we're taking the opportunity to cut and dry the buds for use in our products

If you too still have some lavender flowering in your garden, you may want to try drying the buds to use in potpourri, make into sachets to scent your drawers or act as an insect repellant. It also makes great confetti if you have a wedding coming up.

Pick a nice, dry day and head out with your garden shears, grab a hand-full and cut just above the leaves so the stems are long enough to tie together. Keep the bunch relatively small (say, 20-30 stems) to give the buds plenty of space for air to flow through and for the buds to dry evenly.

Cut lavender just above the leaf line leaving long stem
Cut lavender just above the leaf line leaving long stem
Tie the stems together with a rubber band, making it as tight as you can because the stems will shrink slightly as they dry and fall out of the band if it's too loose.

Make sure the rubber band is tight
Make sure the rubber band is tight
Then find a warm dry place to hang them, suspending the bunches upside down. If you don't have a handy clothes airer, you may try suspending some string across your chosen space and hang the bunches from there. There should be sufficient airflow in the room to help drying without there being a draught. Some buds will drop and you can put a sheet underneath to catch these if you want. A darkened (or at least shaded) room will help the buds retain their beautiful colour.

Leave the bunches to dry for approx. 3 weeks, depending on the conditions. Once dry, take the bunches and rub them between you hands over a sieve to collect the buds or you can put the bunches in a pillowcase and roll to release the buds from the stems. Keep the dried buds in a dark airtight container until you are ready to use them.