Asked on Jul 28, 2013

How do you remove the dried lavender buds from the plant?

B.J. B
by B.J. B
I have been growing lavender for several years and usually just dry the entire stem. I would like to make sachets with just the lavender buds. I don't know an efficient way to remove the buds from the stem. After I cut the lavender I let it dry for several weeks. I tried rubbing them off and cutting them but I keep getting little bits of stems. I wouldn't mind this but the pieces of stem poke through the sachets. Can anyone help me?
  10 answers
  • Kayren Johnson Kayren Johnson on Jul 28, 2013
    I only grew it once & I just ran my finger & thumb down the stem to remove them before drying, like I did with rosemary, then just dried on a flat surface, turnin it every day or so.
  • Michelle W Michelle W on Jul 28, 2013
    Hi If you cut the lavender with fairly long stalks then tie them together, put the tops into a paper bag and hang them up to dry in a nice dry place. The flower heads should fall off into the bag, sometimes you need to give them a good shake and any that don't you can pick off by hand. This also works with other plants to gather seeds. I hope this is of some help. Here is the perfect webpage for you http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/2012/06/growing-and-drying-lavender.html
  • B.J. B B.J. B on Jul 29, 2013
    Thank you! This looks like a perfect solution. I'm going to try it.
  • Jo N Jo N on Jul 30, 2013
    have you tried making wands? I've done them before, takes a little practice till you get the hang of it. http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/how-to-make-lavender-wands.html
  • B.J. B B.J. B on Jul 30, 2013
    I've never heard of wands but they sound really interesting. How exactly do you make them?
  • Jo N Jo N on Aug 03, 2013
    Please look at the above link that I posted. It shows you how to make them. If you get really adventurous and you don't use any chemicals on your lavender try using it for tea and cooking. There are a lot of recipes out there. One of my favorites is iced tea.
  • B.J. B B.J. B on Aug 03, 2013
    Thank you Jo N!
  • Janet F Janet F on Aug 08, 2013
    I cut the stems, bind them together with rubber bands in bunches and let them dry outside thoroughly. Then I place the bunch in a plastic bag and knead the heads or roll them on a hard surface. If the lavender is dry enough the buds will fall off the stems. I was taught in my lavender class to place them in a linen towel and roll them on a hard surface but I found they still stuck to the towel.
  • B.J. B B.J. B on Aug 08, 2013
    Thank you. I've already got my lavender bunched and drying so I'm going to try this.
  • Janet F Janet F on Aug 10, 2013
    Another plus of this method is you just remove the now empty stems and close the zip lock bag and you have storage!