Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly

I love my lavender garden - I would LOVE to have acres of it, like in Provence, but, alas- not to be!!!!

Since lavender loves sun and good drainage, and not being soaked, my raised rock garden off the front porch is the perfect spot.

I have several different types of lavender- the short stocky ones are perfect for drying, making sachets , and using the blossoms for tea or lavender infused syrup. The tall, lanky English lavender is best for making wands.

The bees and butterflies love the blooming lavender, the praying mantises like attaching their egg cases to the sturdy branches in the fall.

Lavender is blooming  right now - so, let the WEAVING begin!!

For the past few years, after seeing what my art-full friend Patty did with her lavender, I took up the Victorian art of lavender wand making.

After a few false starts, and a couple of not so attractive wands, I am now enjoying it, and making them nonstop.

Before the rain came today, I ran outside and cut 275 lavender stems to make a few more wands.Those were  in addition to the 100 or so  I cut the day before.

I take them before the blooms completely open. I think this helps retain the scent for years and years.
Below is a great tutorial on how to create your own wand. I do it a bit differently, without the wire, and in varying sizes of 13, 17, and 28 stems.



                                                                     Good tutorial

                    One of the many butterflies and bees flitting from blossom to blossom

                                                                    Burl Ives (dating myself!)Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly song


Off to make more "magic" wands........