| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mrsamy |
Posted - Jun 03 2012 : 11:48:49 AM
Over the last 10 years I have slowly added lavender plant after lavender plant. I have lost a few and gained a few that rooted in funny little places. They are all in full bloom and I took a minute to count them...21 in all. I traded a lady at a farmer's market lavender (one for one) lavender wands for plants last year and got 4 of them to plant along the walk to the house. You brush against them as you come to the door. When you open the gate it rubs against lemon balm. Guess who's making lavender wands today. Any buds that fall get dried and mixed with mint for lavender mint tea. Sigh, my garden is THE best therapy there is! I hope all you farmgirls out there are as happy with your gardens right now, too.
Prayer costs nothing, but is worth the most. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lorie.Vance |
Posted - Jul 22 2012 : 4:15:00 PM
Sheri and Grace, your pics are beautiful! I have a few Lavandar plants, I even turned a couple into topiaries. I recently ordered the raspberry colored Lavandar plants, but they haven't bloomed just yet, I can't wait!
http://thevintagegardengirl@blogspot.com |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jul 19 2012 : 9:39:06 PM
I've been harvesting and weaving all day today. Hopefully the rain doesn't mess with the blossoms.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - Jul 19 2012 : 9:15:45 PM
I was harvesting today, too! So many more plants to go! Looking forward to trying a wand.
Marianne |
| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 12:40:09 PM
Katmom, If Newport was smart they would start planting lavender (lots of lavender) their park. It's low maintenance and could be stunning if done right and be a more natural setting for the Lavender Fest. I can't bear to cut the lavender on my plants--it's so beautiful coming up the hill. |
| katmom |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 10:16:45 AM
JoAnn,
I agree,,, in the (Newport) Park, kinda loses it's glamour... I would much rather go out to the fields where the lavender grows...
I was down in Portland OR., for 4 days,,,and while driving around I spotted several small lavender farms....
And most, tho small, were 'U-pick' farms... I love it.... I wish I could do that but the insurance for Liability would kill me.... so I pick and sell some & give the rest away to neighbors in bouquets... and what ever is left at the end of the season... I dry & use in the firepit to burn...
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| katmom |
Posted - Jul 16 2012 : 10:11:14 AM
Sheri,
I hear ya (knap weed) what a scurge! we are in the midst of trying (yet again) to clear our property of weeds....and find that with 5 acres (ours) and 1000s of acres around us that are not maintained(well)...erradicating weeds is almost an impossible task,,, so hubby dearest does a once a week or every 2 weeks,,, Brush hogging around the property to keep the weeds down and from blooming & shooting out seeds... One of our neighbors is a Professor at EWU and she told us that we would have to pull every noxious weed by hand, bag them up & take to the Waste Management Plant to be processed properly... I have neither the time nor energy to hand pull 5 acres of weeds so Brush Hogging it is !lol! Speakiong of which... I need to get out to my lavender field with the weed wacker! Oh joy! lol!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| jollyquilter |
Posted - Jul 14 2012 : 3:25:10 PM
Thanks for the tutorial on the wands. I bet they smell wonderful. I just had a lady give me a whole pot of lavender. I do not know what kind just that it is lavender. Can you tell I am excited? 
www.StuffByKim.etsy.com
http://fiberandflea.blogspot.com |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Jul 13 2012 : 7:59:08 PM
The lavender pictures are beautiful. Just seeing them makes me want to plant lavender.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| Mountain Girl |
Posted - Jul 11 2012 : 06:20:09 AM
What is now known as the Newport Lavender Festival use to be held at a beautiful farm right on the Pend Oreille River. The rows of lavender looked like they went right into the river. They had beautiful flower gardens on the property too. I can't bring myself to go to it now that's it's held in the city park--just doesn't seem the same. I've been to the one in Sequim and it is quite the experience--you almost get lavendered out: ) The trick is to go early later in the day or weekend there is quite the traffic jam. |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jul 10 2012 : 11:35:35 PM
No, I didn't make it up there. It's not far from me either. I had my son and his wife up here helping me to cut down the knap weed - I had gotten a letter from the county weed police so I had to get it taken care of. Maybe next year. Mine is just starting to come into full bloom. Once I finish up my strawberry jam, I will be on to lavender harvest.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| katmom |
Posted - Jul 10 2012 : 9:56:26 PM
Hey Sherri, did you get to go to the Newport Lavender fest last weekend? Once again I missed it... bummer!
I hope to get up to Squime one of these days too!
Thank you for the tip about 'warming up' of the stems...
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jul 09 2012 : 7:12:13 PM
The trick to making wands is to pinch the stems in your fingers for a few minutes to heat up the stems. Once the stems are warm, you can gently bend them without them breaking. I weave dozens of wands every summer. A friend taught me that trick. It's also best to only pick a few stems at a time because they dry out rather quickly which will also cause them to crack.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| Roe |
Posted - Jul 09 2012 : 5:31:09 PM
Hi grace,
Thank you so much for explaining that to me yes I'm sure now that's what the problem
Must be. But your right I wont give up now the last one I planted was under a tree but
A lot of sun so we shall see. I will keep you posted so far so good but I must say your lavender is amazing. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Hugs,
Roe |
| katmom |
Posted - Jul 03 2012 : 10:21:08 PM
Roe, you may live in a to humid area for lavender....it is it's happiest in dry arid locations...so if it's very humid or rainy,,, you may have to search for a species of lavender that is a little more water tolerent.... The species I grow do well up here but the type I grew back in SO. Calif. probably wouldn't do as well. But don't give up...maybe a potted plant on a sunny windowsil is the best solution for you.
Amy, so glad you are going to post photos... I have made them but inveribly manage to break a couple of ends. I have started to gently press the stems gently before I bend the stem over the buds, it works a bit better for me, most of the times. Thank goodness you & I have plenty of plants to practice on! :>)
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>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| mrsamy |
Posted - Jul 01 2012 : 05:56:48 AM
Well, lavender is a well loved herb isn't it! To make the lavender wands prepare yourself to make a mess and tie your fingers together the first time if you are anything like me. Gather a bunch of lavender stems (I like to use about 21 stems...makes 7groups of 3, you'll see why that matters later). Strip all leaves and put an elastic band snugly just under the buds. I like the clear little ones in the hair supply area. This is where it gets tricky. Tie a long length of ribbon around the band and turn the whole shebang upside down so you are hilding the buds in one hand and the stems straight up. Now imagine you want to make those stems look like an umbrella frame...take the ribbon snugly wind it around every three stems gently bending them outward. When you get around the bunch you will have 7 groups of three stems each (see). Now that you have them in bunches, weave over under over under each group gently forcing the stems to bend down over the buds. Again, imagine an umbrlla closing over the buds. Keep going until you have just a bit of stem left. Another tight clear elastic band on the end. Tie the ribbon around the band, add a loop for hanging. I will post pics later. It is a challenge, but if I can figure it out from a picture, you can do this too! It is so worth trying at least twice. :)
Prayer costs nothing, but is worth the most. |
| JerseyGirl |
Posted - Jun 29 2012 : 04:49:47 AM
OMGoodness, Grace! You're in lavender heaven!LOL I only have 2 plants, on either side of my shed..I'm almost ashamed to say that after seeing all of yours! |
| Roe |
Posted - Jun 29 2012 : 03:55:41 AM
This was amazing to see the lovely lavender! Help
what do I keep doing wrong with mine Killed one and
the other one is not doing well HELP!
Hugs,
Roe |
| katmom |
Posted - Jun 15 2012 : 08:52:05 AM
hey Delicia,
Simply, lavender loves a warm/hot sunny location,,,, do not over water and it hates for it's roots to sit in soggy or clay soil.
We have sandy loom/dirt mix... I only water 2x a week so I let it dry out in between waterings (I do water a bit more often when the weather gets over 90degrees.)
Pruning is the other key factor... mine will re-bloom all summer long if I keep on top of the pruning..
When I lived in SO. CAlif. my lavender bloomed nearly all year long ('cept the dead of Winter)... up here in
E. Wash., it only blooms from late June to Sept... so I get 2 good harvests of cuttings.
These past couple years have been hard (weather)on us so I have had to re-plant/replace plants due to weather damage etc..but in the end...still worth it.
My suggestion is to plant (in a nice large pot that has drainage) a lavender plant that you can move around and water easily... then you can bring it indoors in the Winter... It should last about 5 years...
Even just rubbing ones hands on the leaves makes for a wonderful scent.
Don't be afraid to plant anything,,, it's all about trial & error... your yard is different from your neighbors,,,so what they grow may not grow well in your own yard...crazy huh!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| delicia |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 7:31:40 PM
WOW Grace, how wonderful for you. I would be embarrased to show my 1 lavendar plant with a few scraggly stems. How do you do it? I love lavendar but, have not had much luck getting it to grow. |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 2:42:36 PM
Holy cow, Grace! That's a gorgeous crop you have there. I'll bet it smells fabulous. |
| erowease |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 1:24:07 PM
Love it that looks like an ideal spot!
Lesley
#2950
"I see God in the eyes of every child...every life is precious to God, whatever the circumstances." Mother Teresa |
| katmom |
Posted - Jun 14 2012 : 09:57:02 AM
Lavender? did someone mention lavender? lol!
I have 125 plants on the frton of my properety and have started 12 plugs in my garden (trans planted erant starts from my lil lavender field... and I have 4 plugs started by the posts to my balcony...
I luv it when my kitties rub up by my plants... my kitties smell heavenly.
Our "Rats with Antlers" (deer) won't eat it,,, but they do have a tendency to walk over & sometimes split my plants.... dang "rats'...
As for what to do with lavender.... there are soooo many things,,,from disenfectants, to calmers, to craftes to culinary.... Oh & I like to combine my dried lavender buds w/ dried Chocolate mint leaves for a yummy tea.... Just type in 'Lavender' in your search & you will be overwhelmed with all the things one can do with lavender.
But best of all, I like sitting out on my bench in the middle of my little field, and watch the industrious bees getting high on lavender nectar... Someone out here is getting incredible lavender honey in their hives!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| Prairie Princess |
Posted - Jun 13 2012 : 5:13:45 PM
Oh... I'm envious now...envisioning all your lovely lavender plants!!  I bought some seed earlier this year, but I don't have much luck starting seeds (seems I ...forget... to water them, lol). Maybe I'll have to give it a go anyway. Probably not too late since the growing season down here is pretty perpetual. Any tips? :)
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt
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| jollyquilter |
Posted - Jun 13 2012 : 4:14:46 PM
Amy....will you share how you make the lavendar wands? I have never heard of them before.
www.StuffByKim.etsy.com
http://fiberandflea.blogspot.com |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - Jun 12 2012 : 03:27:44 AM
I also love the ease of lavendar. I have been able to share plants with other gardeners and that makes me so happy. Everyone seems to love it once they start growing it.
Marianne |
