Put your lavender to good use
Lavender is perfect for adding color and a pleasant, calming aroma to your landscaping, as well attracting pollinators, but why stop there? Once your plants take off like mine have…finally…why not put them to good use around your house too.
Popular uses for lavender
Lavender can be used for creating syrup, baking, making infused oils, crafting fresh bouquets or wreaths, and placing in sachets to freshen linens and deter insects.
Culinary uses
- Syrup for drinks: Simmer fresh flowers with honey and water to create a syrup for coffee, tea, or homemade lavender lemonade.
- Baked goods: Add fresh buds to biscuits, cakes, or cookies for a floral, citrusy flavor.
- Spreads: Mix finely chopped lavender into butter for scones or bread.
- Infusions: Create lavender vinegar for dressings or infuse in olive oil.
Home decor uses
- Sachets and air freshener: Fill small muslin bags with lavender and baking soda for drawers and closets to repel pests and smell fresh.
- Dried bouquets and wreaths: Arrange fresh stems in vases or create a summer wreath by securing small bundles with floral wire.
Wellness uses
- Sleep pillows: Place fresh or dried buds into sleep pillows to aid relaxation.
- Bath products: Create homemade bath bombs or add to Epsom salts for a calming soak.
- Essential oil: Create a calming oil by steeping buds in a carrier oil to use for body scrubs or skincare.
Harvesting and drying lavender
Before you can enjoy any of these wonderful uses for your lavender, you must harvest and dry it. For that, I direct you to Garden Therapy’s How to Harvest Lavender.
In full disclosure, I have not yet tried any of these projects, but I fully intend to now that my lavender plants are well established. I’ll keep you posted!
Your turn
- Have you tried any of these uses for lavender? Did you make them yourself or purchase them?
- What is your favorite garden plant?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
Hi Christie – I’ve used lavender oil for headache relief – I think it was combined with peppermint from memory – it was in a roller that you used on your temples and neck – it was a pleasant addition to the usual pain meds I take.
Yes, Leanne, I like the combination of peppermint and lavender. I’ve recently started doing a Epsom salt foot soak after my long walks, and I like adding that combination of oils to the water, because it smells so nice.
I have two lavender plants, but I have never used them for anything other than filling in the area with plants the bunnies don’t like and that give lots of bang for the buck.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Hello Marsha. Like you, I have never used my lavender plants for anything but landscaping, but I’m thinking I want to try something new with them. We’ll see if I actually get around to it or not!
Hi Christie, I really love lavender and enjoyed reading the various ways of using it. I can’t walk past it in the garden without running my hands through the plants.
I’m the same way, Debbie. The smell it releases is heavenly. I do check for bees first, though!
I used to associate the smell of lavender with old ladies, which I suspect was due to the line of toiletries branded for “granny gifts”. Then I had a reaction to plasters following a breast biopsy, and an aromatherapist friend dabbed some English lavender essential oil onto the blisters – and hey presto, they healed beautifully. Since then, I’ve loved the smell and associate it with nurturing.
That’s funny, Debs, about your association with lavender and old ladies. I too find lavender nurturing and calming.