when to pick english lavender

it's june: the bees are buzzing and the lavender is in bloom.

when is the best time to harvest those intoxicating little flowers? 
what is best for the butterflies and bees?
what is best for the plant?

keep everyone happy! check out our guide below...

it's lavender season! 
that deep, rich, sweet fragrance has taken over the whole yard 
and the bees are going MAD. (the butterflies are v chill.)

the plants have done well and now we've got to figure out what we're going to do with all that amazing lavender and when we're supposed to pick it. 

here are some factors to consider:

• closed buds retain color and fragrance longer than open flowers;
• essential oil accumulation is at its maximum and quality at its peak when all the buds have opened and a small number of them have begun to wither;
• opened flowers are more likely than buds to fall off during the drying process;
• bees and butterflies need open flowers;
• cutting after flowering encourages a second bloom (not 100% sure about this one). 

unopened buds look like little purple grains of rice. 
this bee will go straight for the one opened bloom.

this stem has between 25 and 50 percent opened blooms.

between 50 and 75 percent opened blooms

75 to 100 percent opened blooms! the bees are super stoked!

if you're going to dry the stalks and leave them as is, harvest early in the season, when one quarter to one half of the buds have opened. this way, most of the buds will stay on the stalk and the color and fragrance will be preserved.

if you wish to extract the oil, the lavender should be harvested late in the season when all of the flowers have opened and a small percentage of them have started to wither. 

i'm going to wait until the end of the season for three reasons:

• i will be using my lavender to make infused oil, so the flowers should be at maximum essential oil content and quality; 
• the bees should have access to the flowers for as long as possible;
• i hope for another harvest this season. apparently, cutting them after the first flowering has finished encourages a second bloom. we shall see!

how to pick

if the plant has not been in the ground for a year, leave it alone so it can become established. From gardeningknowhow's awesomely informative website:

You’ll start trimming lavender in the second year that it is in the ground. Newly planted or very young plants need a chance to establish themselves, and in order to do this, they need to be able to focus on growing roots. If you cut back lavender in its first year, it will put energy towards growing leaves rather than roots and this will make it a weaker plant in the long term.

• pick during dry weather, early in the day (after the dew has dried);
• take a single stem or grab a small bundle of stems and cut a few inches above the woody growth;
• wrap a rubber band around the bottom of the bunch;
• hang the bunch upside down on a hook in a dark, dry place. i usually put a tray or a large platter underneath to catch any dropped blossoms. let the lavender dry for at least a week until all of the stems and flowers are completely dry. check the center of the bunch to make sure.

you can then use the stalks as is for your project, or shake/brush the blossoms and leaves into an airtight jar. cover tightly. store in a cool, dry place. 

i keep mine in a chest freezer with just about everything else (essential oils, carrier oils, aloe chunks, pine sap, whatever other crazy thing i've got in there...). i have it set on the warmest setting (just cold enough to freeze water, i believe, rather than a "deep freeze"), and it keeps everything really fresh. i love it and highly recommend it.