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How to pick, grow lavender plants to make lavender wands

Q. I would like to grow some lavender for making lavender wands. Can you tell me the best type to grow?

A. To make lavender wands you want to use an English lavender: Lavandula spp.

Even better are some of the English lavender crosses, Lavandula x intermedia. These lavenders are a result of a cross between English and Portuguese lavender and while less cold hardy, they produce more blooms with longer stems. Many will also re-bloom if stems are removed properly after first bloom. There are many wonderful cultivars of these types of lavender to choose from such as Grosso or Provence. All are well adapted to a Mediterranean climate and will grow well here.

A couple of things to keep in mind when choosing lavender:

  1. The darker the color boom, the more intense the perfume. If you like the intense lavender scent choose the darker purple flower colors.

  2. If the description for the plant says it’s compact, such as the English lavender Lady, it will not have long enough stems to make it suitable for making wands.

Lavenders are fairly easy to grow. They like full sun and well-drained soil. The most common reason for lavender plants to die is poor drainage. If you have heavy clay soils, consider growing the plants on raised mounds. If given proper drainage, lavender will thrive if you water often. It’s also drought tolerant if you water less.

Lavender can be used for more than making wands. You can dry or freeze flowers for potpourri, to add to lemonade, to use as a spice for meat, to make a clothes freshener or to make a sachet to soothe frazzled nerves.

Lavender plants also make attractive plants in the landscape or along a border. Another type of lavender common to the North State is Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas. This is a nice lavender for the landscape with more foliage and shorter flower spikes, but it’s not suitable for making lavender wands.

As an added bonus, bees love all types of lavender so it attracts pollinators to your garden or orchard.

To learn how to make a lavender wand I recommend checking out the many YouTube videos on the subject. The process is fairly simple.

Lavender wands are easy to make and can add fragrance to your home for months.
Lavender wands are easy to make and can add fragrance to your home for months.
  1. Start with fresh cut lavender stems that have the flower buds just opening. Cut the stems of blooms down to the first new leaves first thing in the morning if possible. By cutting back flower stems to the new leaves you will encourage your lavender to re-bloom.

  2. Next choose an odd number of stems anywhere from 13 to 35. The more stems you choose, the fatter the head of your wand.

  3. Clean the flower stalks of any leaves or side branches growing below the blossom.

  4. Then cluster blooms together and tie the flower heads together with one end of a five- to six-foot by ¼-inch satin ribbon.

  5. Turn flower heads upside down and fold stems over the flower cluster, pull ribbon through and beginning weaving the ribbon over and under each folded over stem so that the flower buds are enclosed in a cage of stems and ribbon.

  6. Make sure to pull the ribbon tight and position your stems evenly around the flower heads.

  7. Once you get to the bottom of the flower buds you can tie the ribbon tight and wrap the stems and finish with a bow.

More Master Gardener: When to prune, not prune tomato plants

I recommend starting with a smaller number of stems for your first attempt. It’s difficult to get the ribbon started at first and if you miss a stem, it can mess up your weave.

The Shasta Master Gardeners Program can be reached by phone at 530-242-2219 or email mastergardener@shastacollege.edu. The gardener office is staffed by volunteers trained by the University of California to answer gardeners' questions using information based on scientific research.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: How to grow lavender, make lavender wands

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