For centuries, women have put lavender on their handkerchiefs, and the Romans have added lavender to their bath water. Many use Lavender oil for body massage. Others use lavender as a soothing insect repellant.

To collect your precious lavender from your own home garden you will need:

• Secateurs
• Rubber bands
• Newspaper
• a) Select stems with the flowers opening and using secateurs cut as long a stem as possible.
• b) Place several stems together and secure them with a rubber band. The rubber band will shrink as lavender dries out. Stems can fall out, if tied with string, as it does not shrink.
• c) Hang stems with flowers facing down. Keep out of sunlight, allowing it to dry naturally. They can be hung in a wardrobe, which will make your clothes smell nice. This should take up to 3 weeks. Place something like newspaper underneath to catch any that fall when dried.
• d) When dry remove the buds from the stems. Remove leaves from the stems.

Make use of your dried lavender by making your own mixture of potpourri, lavender wreaths, lavender bottles, or you could make lavender lemonade.