Our lavender plants this summer are doing very well! The flowers are just opening and the bees have discovered them! I’ve been trying to cut some while they are so beautiful but I can tell the bees sense that I’m competition. They even checked out the basket I was using to put the cut flowers in. I promise, I won’t take them all!
I’m really not cutting the flowers to use as a decoration in the house, although they look nice in a vase without water for a while. I’m hoping to let them dry naturally and collect the flower buds. I can use them in several fabric projects and even in my soap. In the past I have purchased them in bulk from STARWEST Botanicals, as shown in the picture below. The buds are often used with flax seeds in several of my projects. When sealed in a zip bag, they maintain their lovely scent for more than a year.
Last year I cut some lavender flowers and let them sit on a try for a month or so. Then I dropped them into an unsealed zip bag and set them aside to continue drying. Actually, I totally forgot about them until this year! They are quite dry now but still have a nice scent, so I will rub the buds off the stems, seal them in a zip bag and use them this year in projects. You can see the buds that have fallen off the stems already.
Earlier this month, I cut another batch of flowers to begin the process again. I’ve laid them on a tray in the dining room, right under our ceiling fan.
Today, I cut another batch…not too many…the bees were very interested in my activities! I will enjoy these as a decoration until they start to wilt. They dry better if laid flat or hung upside down. I don’t have a dry barn or attic to hang them in, so a tray will have to do.
Projects Using Lavender Buds
I have three fabric projects where I’ve used lavender buds.
The first is a small pillow (about 5″ x 9″) that can be warmed in the microwave or dropped in the freezer…good for headaches, toothaches or bumps and bruises. I use mostly flax seeds (purchased from the health food store in bulk) and add several tablespoons of lavender buds to the mix. If you plan to use it mostly frozen, I’d suggest using only flax seeds. Having the buds freeze and thaw several times might make them mushy. You can read about how to make this pillow here:
https://marykisner.com/making-a-hot-or-cold-eye-pillow-for-headaches-or-toothaches/
The second fabric project was a hot or cold neck wrap that was longer than the pillow that could wrap around the back of the neck and onto to the top of the shoulders. It is also stuffed with flax seeds and lavender buds and can be microwaved or stored in the freezer until needed. You can read about how to make this wrap here:
https://marykisner.com/hot-or-cold-neck-wrap/
A third project made small pouches (about 4″ square), again, filled with a flax seed/lavender bud mixture. These were called pocket hand warmers…meant to be warmed in the microwave and tucked into your coat pockets on a cold winter day. Good for kids and adult when you need to be outside. You can read about how to make them here:
https://marykisner.com/pocket-hand-warmers/
Those are some ideas for how I use lavender buds. After I’ve worked with the buds, the whole room smells like lavender and my hands smell good for hours! Give them a try…might make good Christmas gifts for the whole family! Enjoy!