Emily Chan
Once lavender is harvested from your garden, the popular perennial plant will bring a soothing, fresh scent into your home.
Whether you’re looking to create fragrant bouquets or add the herb to culinary concoctions, knowing how and when to harvest ensures that you get the highest quality blooms. Here’s how to properly harvest your lavender so you can enjoy it to the fullest!
Tools
Harvesting lavender is really quite simple. First of all, gather the right tools for the job. You’ll need clean shears or scissors, rubber bands or twine, and a basket for collecting the lavender. You can also use a sheet or towel for the bundling and storing process, but that’s optional.
If you’re using rubber bands to bundle your lavender, try to get your hands on some UV-resistant ones since they hold up better against the sun.
When To Harvest
The best time to harvest lavender is in early spring. This way, the plant will have enough time to produce another set of blooms that you can harvest in early to mid-summer. Aim to harvest lavender from the late morning to mid-day.
When you harvest too early in the morning, the plant will still have moisture from the morning dew. Moisture can lead to mold growth. On the other hand, if you wait too long to harvest, the sun causes the oils from the plant to dry up.
If you plan to use the lavender in fresh bouquets, harvest when half of the flowers on the stem are open. For dried bundles or dried floral arrangements, harvest the lavender when the first blossoms begin to open so you can have the most color. The longer the flowers sit in the sun, the more their color fades.
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