I was aware enough this year to harvest my lavender at a more appropriate time than I did last year. According to my reading, you want to harvest it as soon as the flowers have fully opened. I had noticed a few days ago that it was flowering, so today, after returning from a client call and school pickup, I walked out with my pruners and cut the flower stalked from each plant.
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By necessity, I took a lot of the leaves with each stalk, too. This variety seems to have leaves right up to the flower bud itself. When placing these in a vase, I left some leaves on the stems, but then I also pulled some leaves off to make for a better presentation. Those leaves didn’t go to waste, though. I collected them up in a few bowls to scatter around the house.
My wife, Rosanne, loves the scent of lavender, so I hope this is a nice surprise when she arrives home from her work as a college professor. It is so nice to be able to bring a little of our garden inside so we can enjoy it wherever we happen (or need) to be.