What I Do With My Lavender Harvest

Lavender is a lovely and popular flowering herb. The lavender I grow in my garden isLavandula angustifolia, also known as English Lavender. The variety I have is called Hidcote, which is a relatively compact lavender with deep purple flowers. Versatile and easy to grow, this lavender is a useful wildlife attractant on the sunny fringe of my forest garden.

August is the time of year when, with the plants in full bloom, I turn my attention to harvesting it. Cutting lavender blooms is something you can and should do regularly over the summer months. Not only will they be useful for a range of projects in your home, but harvesting will also encourage new flowers to emerge.

Here are some of the ways I use my lavender harvest.

One reason to harvest lavender is for use in edible recipes and drinks. However, I must confess that I find lavender a little too much in most cases, and when it is used, it is best used in moderation.

One way that I have enjoyed lavender is in a honey-lavender vinaigrette for late summer salads. You can also add it to sugar to make a lavender sugar that can be used in a range of confectionary or pair its floral smell and taste with a range of summer fruits.

But remember, when it comes to using lavender, in most cases less is more. So don't overdo it and remember that you will usually use most of your crop, as I do, for other things.

Most of my lavender ends up not in recipes but in vases or other displays within my home. I often simply bring lavender inside and then arrange it in vases in my home. This serves multiple purposes—it looks and smells great, enhances my living spaces, and allows the lavender to dry so it can be put to other uses.

I also like to arrange my lavender in other ways. For