Thanks Lorna. I'll be there!

If I'm doing a long job like cutting back lavender, I'll do a bit, go and do something else, then come back to it. Over and over until it's done. I spend a lot of time doing jobs like that. :)

Libby

The owner of Sunshine Lavender Farm, uses battery-powered cordless garden shears. I bought some, but don't know if I'm using the same kind that she uses. They are a bit hazardous. I can't let my mind wander at all when using it for close work like that!

When not harvesting wands, I use my HedgeHog to trim and shape the lavender.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: cordless shears

I harvested my lavenders last month. I tackled the job plant by plant so it wasn't too hard. I was so thrilled with the results that I added 15 new plants to my collection of 10. They need to be hanged upside down to dry. Just last week I started removing the petals from the stems and the scent is heavenly.

That sounds sooo good, I love arugula. How big do they get, I see you called it a bush, do they really get that big???? How do you use your lavender? I put in 3 plants this year and I never thought to bring the flowers inside.

Hello, everyone! Could i ask you guys to post pictures of your lavender gardens? I'm going to convert a weed-infested hill to a lavender garden next year, and i'd love some photographs for inspiration.

You can look up lavender farms, estreya. They have fields of lavender, which are just amazing. People are welcome to post their lavender photos.

There are different varieties of lavender and lavendula, which grow to different sizes, redrumed. Spanish lavender is not a true lavender, but looks very much like lavender and becomes a fairly large shrub. It doesn't have the scent or herbal properties of true lavender. Russian sage also resembles lavender and grows even larger than Spanish lavender.

Thanks for the URL, Cameron. I've used regular hedge clippers on lavender, then picked up the fallen flowers from the ground. How much do those cordless shears weigh? I was surprised at how large the tool is.

By the way, the tin of culinary lavender I have looks as though the flowers were picked fresh, then dried. They retained most of their color.

Ianna the climate in New Mexico is so dry that one can dry lavender indoors. I even dry beef jerky indoors in a non-electric hanging food dryer.

Lorna

I grow several kinds of lavender. Munstead is the one that overwinters in the ground reliably for me. The ones in pots, I put in my egress window for the winter, and they will live a few years that way. I try to get as much dried as I can, but it tends to get away from me, so then I just enjoy the purple in the garden. I have some embroidery floss I picked up at a garage sale that I use to tie bundles up and hang upside down.

Lorna, It's 9:15 p.m. here, and I've already snacked this evening, so I'm trying not to be hungry again, but reading about your smells is making me struggle not to get up and go into the kitchen. LOL

I have lots of onions, too. I need to bring them in from drying on my deck.
Sue

Its recommended to dry lavender (and other plants) hanging upside down so that the blooms and stems stay straight as the plant goes through the wilt phase.

I use a cheap plastic footstool to sit and cut my lavender. With 50 or so mature lavender bushes its a long, long job. I grow several kinds of lavender. I've tried some that did not winter over in my zone (Goodwin Creek, Wooly, Sweet, French, Fringed). My current collection includes: Provence, Provence White, Grosso, Dutch Mill, Munstead, Lady, Hidcote, Hidcote Giant, Blue Cushion, Jean Davis, Spanish, and Silver Edge. My favorite producers are Provence, Provence White, and Grosso. Be aware of the fact that these three intermediate lavendins grow to be HUGE bushes.

Provence:
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Grosso:
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Lavender at the front door:
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A day's harvest:
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Oh WOW! This garden is a thrilling inspiration. Thank you for posting these photographs! I can't wait to start my garden ...

Lorna ~ I wish I could grow lavender down here where it's humid and hot. I've tried a couple of times and treat it as an annual. I love that scent.

Granite ~ your gardens and your lavender are just beautiful, and what a great harvest you had for one day. Do you use yours in crafts or what?

FlowerLady

Lorna, a stepstool is what I use to trim my beds, a real backsaver! Your kitchen overflowing with the aromatic bounty of herbs and homegrown vegetables sounds intriguing.

Beautiful pix, Granite. Thanks for sharing them with us. B

Thanks to all about the pictures; the nice comments are keeping me calm while I'm watching my garden fade. I was in a car accident last week and I'm out of commission for a bit to recuperate. My son is picking the veggies but since he walked in today carrying a zucchini that would qualify as a thigh substitute I don't think he's being all that thorough. LOL

I use the lavender for sachets, floral arrangements, fire-starter bundles, massage oil, potpourri, and sell the excess on ebay or at my church's Christmas bazaar. There were at least 5 good sized bushes that I never got around to harvesting. Ah well, chalk it up to another loss caused by drunk drivers.

I should point out that this is year #2 of drought, and I do not water the flower beds at all; I do water the veggie garden area. Lavender does not need to be watered once it has established.

I am so sorry about the accident Granite. I trust you will recover soon. How do you make your lavender massage oil? I water my lavender 4-5 times per week because I live in an arid climate. I had a difficult time getting any lavender to establish--lost a few plants.

I do have a little plastic step stool squirreled away somewhere around here. Thanks for that tip, ladies!

Lorna

Granite, sending healing thoughts your way for a speedy and full recovery. Good that your son is there to care for both you and your garden. ;) Take care and hope you are feeling better soon! Becky

Granite, so sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you are feeling much better with each passing day.

FlowerLady

Granite, hope you have a quick recovery and you don't suffer any lasting damage. What a terrible thing to go through.
You have created beautiful flower beds and obviously very drought tolerant because they look great.
I wish I could grow more Lavender but most of my garden is shaded to some extent but do grow a bit in pots which I can move to sunny spots. I too am interested in how you make your massage oil... Get well soon.

Annette

Granite, more wishes to a speedy recovery for you.

Your lavender is beautiful. I've gotten quite fond of making lavender scones with Provence culinary lavender.

Cameron

Granite,
I hope this finds you making progress in your healing. Please let us know how you are doing.

Lorna,
I reread your original post, and it occurred to me that I forgot to mention that I go ahead and cut several stems at a time, then put them together and cut the bottoms off of the ones that are longer. Usually I have more than one bundle, so I will briefly eyeball them to put the longer ones in one bundle, and the shorter in another.

Thanks for all the good wishes.
I went back to work today, I don't know that I was very efficient but I hung in there the whole day and then came home and slept until 2 am. I'll head off to bed in a minute here.

My injuries included a concussion, whiplash, and sprains of both ankles and both wrists. Mainly I'm finding everything exhausting.

I make the massage oil by packing fresh lavender flowers and leaves into a glass container and covering it with almond oil or grapeseed oil. Let it steep in a bright area but not direct light for at least 24 hours, then strain the oil to remove the plant parts and it's ready to use. You can also steep the lavender in rubbing alcohol or vodka if you want to make a lavender water (sort of a perfume). Same process, just cover the jar.

I lurk here mostly because my garden is so new, and I don't have much to contribute yet, but the Grosso lavender I planted last year is huge and doing well. Unfortunately I can't harvest anything from it because it is absolutely covered in bumble bees, as is all my catmint. Does anyone else have this problem? Unfortunately the lavender is planted right by my front door and driveway so I'm going to have to move it, and I'm sure it won't do as well elsewhere....I think it's all the sand from the roads in the winter that keeps it happy.

Bungalow, you have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat the bees to your lavender. Around twilight, the bees begin to head home, so there is another window of opportunity.

Thanks, Granite, for the tip on making lavender massage oil. I hope you have the weekend for yourself, to continue to recover. Have you used arnica cream on your bruises and sprains? It can be very helpful.

Lorna

Thanks, lorna! I have a 3-year-old so I guess I'm never outside that early or that late to notice!

Granite, what wonderful lavender pictures! I may have to give Provence a try. My hidcote and munstead do not look that amazing. I never got around to harvesting my lavender this year (toddler running around), but now I'm anxious for next season! I hope you're feeling better!

Thanks all, I'm doing OK.
I harvest the lavender among the bees. They are typically sooooooooo drunk on the lavender that they don't care that I am there. It freaks my husband out that I'm there surrounded by bees, but in over 15 years of lavender harvests I've only been stung once and that was when I grabbed a handful of stems at the base and a drunken bee had fallen into that area. I squeezed on him, he bit me. Seems fair.