Why July is the Perfect Time to Harvest Lavender

There are certain moments in the year that only last a week or two, maybe a month at best.

The elderflowers fade almost as quickly as they appear. The first hay is cut. Meadowsweet fills the woodland edges with its sweet, almond-like scent.

And then, almost quietly, the lavender begins to flower.

Here in the Usk Valley, it's one of our favourite times of year. The plants have spent months putting on fresh growth, and by mid-summer the first flowers are beginning to open. Walk past them on a warm afternoon and the fragrance hangs in the air long before you reach the plants themselves.

This is the moment gardeners have waited for. In fact, most people will stop and have a little sniff of a Lavender plant as they brush past.

A Tradition Worth Keeping

For centuries, lavender has been gathered in midsummer to scent homes long after the flowers themselves have faded.

Bundles were hung from beams to dry slowly in the warmth of cottages. Flowers were tucked into linen cupboards, stitched into little sachets, or mixed with dried petals and herbs to bring fragrance indoors through autumn and winter.

There's something wonderfully unhurried about the whole process.

No rush.

Just gathering what the season offers while it's at its very best.

More Than Just Lavender

Although lavender is often the first ingredient people think of, traditional botanical home fragrance has always been richer than a handful of dried flowers.

Rose petals, fragrant herbs, seed heads, leaves and carefully chosen botanicals all have their part to play. Some bring colour, others texture, and others quietly help a fragrance linger for longer.

It's that balance which gives natural botanical blends their character.

No two gardens — or growing seasons — are ever quite the same.

Bringing the Garden Indoors

One of the pleasures of drying flowers is that they allow you to carry a little of summer into the darker months.

A bowl of botanicals on a hallway table.

A small sachet tucked into a wardrobe.

A handful of dried lavender beside the bed.

Simple things perhaps, but often the ones we notice most.

Looking Ahead

Over the past few months we've been gathering and drying botanicals here on our family farm in the Usk Valley.

Rose petals from our own rose fields. Lavender at its midsummer peak. Herbs, leaves and seed heads chosen not just for their fragrance, but because together they tell the story of this landscape.

Our first collection of botanical pot pourri will be arriving in the coming weeks.

If you'd enjoy following the seasons here in the Usk Valley, we'd love to send you an occasional, seasonal letter (email) from the farm. You can sign up using the 'sign up' box below this blog post.