I’m always sad to say goodbye to the bulk of our perennials as they start settling in for their fall and winter slumbers. However, one new addition to our backyard surprised me the first year in when it seemed to die off mid-July only to come back for round two with an even healthier display in September: lavender! For the past couple years that our lavender plants have been in the ground, they’ve come back in all their glory in early September and lasted until late October.
Only last year did I educate myself on giving them a mid-summer trim when they start drying out in early July to promote new growth and keep them under control. And only this summer did it dawn on me to keep all the cuttings and put them to good use!
I’ve already done a few projects with the lavender I cut and dried back in July, including making my own lavender-infused oil (check out this video!), and still have SO much left to use… and will have even more when I cut them back again in a few weeks. So, I went looking for other ways to use it and am feeling very inspired to make things with it all fall and winter long.
If you’ve got lavender that’s still going strong or find yourself cutting it back, but unsure of how to use the cuttings, read on, because there are plenty of good uses for those sweet-smelling buds. Here are just ten ideas to get you started!
I hope this list inspires you to make use of your lavender!
- Beauty & Skincare Oil: Make your own lavender oil to use in beauty products, cleaning solutions, and more! I used these amber dropper containers to store mine.
- Simple Syrup: Add a sweet, floral flavor to coffees, teas, cocktails, lemonade, and baked goods with a lavender-infused simple syrup!
- Body Care: Add lavender buds and/or essential oil to bath salts, body scrubs and lotions, and other beauty and skincare products to add a calming scent.
- Scent Sachets: Fill up breathable bags with lavender petals and pop them into your drawers, closets, or even your dryer to keep things smelling fresh!
- Dried Arrangements: Bundle a group of dried lavender springs together and display them alone or pair them with other dried flowers and grasses.
- Smudge Sticks: Incorporate dried lavender into your sage smudge sticks for a different aroma and extra burning power!
- Cleaning Spray: Drop some lavender into your favorite homemade cleaning solution (alone or with some lemon or other herbs) to keep surfaces smelling lovely.
- Fabric Spray: Make a simple fabric spray that can be spritzed on linens and clothes to keep them smelling good. I like keeping a bottle of lavender spray by our bedside and using a bit on our pillows to help me drift off a little easier.
- Baked Goods: Take your vanilla, almond, or lemon-based desserts up a notch by sprinkling a little lavender in the batter or atop for a finishing touch (remember, a little goes a long way)!
- Tea: Sneak a little lavender into your homemade tea!
Keep in mind, many of these ideas would translate well to other herbs you may be cutting and drying to end the growing season, too, especially rosemary. In the image above, I placed lemon slices, rosemary, and lavender in a jar, topped with distilled white vinegar, and let it sit for a month to make my own all-purpose cleaner!
Get creative and let me know how you end up using your dried lavender!
—Aly
First image via Pexels.