Lavender Wands.

It’s July and my lavender is in full bloom.  Just brushing past it gives off a wonderful scent. This usually happens in the evening as I’m pulling off slugs from the neighboring hosta and lilies, so it’s a welcome reprieve from such yucky work!  I came across lavender wands a couple of years ago, and have decided I really like making them.  It’s fun to work with my hands, and it smells so lovely during the weaving process.  It’s not difficult to do, either.    I gather a handful of stems, tie them together, fold the stems over the blooms, weave the ribbon, and finish with a little bow!  🙂  Here are a couple of pictures of the process:

I like my wands nice and full, so I usually collect between 19 and 23 stems. Look for stems that have some flowers open.   Inevitably, one stem will break in the folding-over process, so I’ll end up with 22 which works well for the weaving since I work with them in twos.

Tie a ribbon at the base of the flowers (not too tight or you’ll break the stems).

After you gather your stems and peel off any greens, line up the blooms and tie a ribbon at their base.  You can use 3mm, 5mm, or 6mm size ribbon. The wider the ribbon the less weaving you’ll have to do.  I think 5 mm is perfect. I figured this out after making lots of wands with 3mm!

Folding stems over the flowers.

Next, hold the flowers in your hand and fold two stems down (gently, so they don’t break), put ribbon either over or under these two, and bring two more stems down. I use two stems, but you can use one or three. I found one to be too much work. Then repeat the process, bringing the ribbon over and under the stems.

I had a lot of fun making these, and putting together a rainbow of colors.  You could hang these in your closet, or put them in your dresser drawers, or leave them on the window sill of the bathroom!  Because I have so many, I have mine in a vase in my family room.  They will last for years.   I am going to try and sell them at a fair coming up in a few weeks. We’ll see if there is any interest for Lavender Wands!

English Lavender in full bloom.

I can’t be 100% sure of the type of lavender I have since I didn’t plant it. But I believe it is an English hybrid (Lavandins), probably Abrialii.  This variety blooms after English lavenders finish their blooming and it lasts to mid summer.   They really have a strong fragrance, and are great for drying too, since the flowers are easily removed from the stems.  After the blooms are finished the stems should be cut by about a third to promote fullness for next season.

I really appreciate having such a lovely and fragrant plant thriving so easily. What a bonus to be able to bring some of it inside and enjoy it all year long!   What do you think, would you use a Lavender Wand?

Dana