Lavender

[alienagentsab]

I have some pre-flowering twigs of lavender from my yard. Is there any benefit to stripping the leaves and putting them in a sachet for a bath, or making a pillow for a sleep aid, or something? Or is there any reason this would be harmful?

Comments

[leeneh]

Both will work fine, but it's better to dry it first for a sleep pillow, or it might mould.

ETA: Eeep! I thought you meant harmful to you - but seeing the next comment, I wonder, maybe you meant harmful to the plant?! In that case, what cordelia_sue says is excellent advice. :)

[alienagentsab]

I did mean harmful to me! The plant has already been cut back a lot and I'm trying to find a use for the branches that were removed. I will be careful to dry them first, yes, I'm sort of scared of mold! Thank you.

[leeneh]

You're welcome! You'll be completely safe from mould if you hang them in a warm, dry place away from the sun for 7-10 days. I bundle mine up with rubberbands or strings ca. five stems each bundle (we have very humid air, so more than that will make them dry slower or even mould) and hang them inside a cone of newspaper (or brown paper if I have it) in the darkest corner of the bedroom. Sometimes I place the dehumidifier nearby to help drying them. The same technique will work with branches as well, but maybe you'll have to be inventive if they're crooked (some of my plants are, sometimes).

For dream/sleep pillows I also put some chamomile and a pinch of hops in together with the lavender. I find the hops are good in periods where I have trouble falling asleep.

[alienagentsab]

That is very good advice, thank you. I didn't know how to dry them, but now what I'm really looking forward to is finding hops, because falling asleep is really hard. I'm excited to try this!

[cordelia_sue]

Sure, but if you strip the leaves completely it will cause the rest of the plant to stop growing. I pick a leaf here and there off of different branches to cook with early in the season.

[alienagentsab]

The plant was cut back a lot to allow a path behind it. I wanted to find some use for the branches that were removed because it would be a shame to waste them. Thanks! I'll try cooking with a few leaves from the living plant later in the summer when it's grown back a little.