How to Hang Dry Lavender: Pro Tips & Tricks to Ensure Success
There is nothing quite like the sight and smell of a fresh lavender bundle during peak summer bloom. But unlike cut flowers, you don’t have to throw your bundle of lavender in the trash. Learning how to hang dry lavender is the absolute best, time-tested way to preserve your lavender bundle for year-round enjoyment. Traditional air-drying keeps your lavender looking vibrant and smelling incredible, but there are a few tips and tricks you should know to ensure success!
Why Choose the Hanging Method for Lavender?
While there are multiple ways to dry herbs, hanging lavender bundles upside down remains the gold standard for several key reasons:
Retains Straight Stems: Gravity is your friend. Hanging the stems upside down ensures they dry perfectly straight, which is essential if you want to use them for decorative bouquets and vases.
Preserves the Rich Purple Color: Air-drying in a dark space prevents the gorgeous purple hues of lavender from bleaching or turning dull brown.
Locks in Essential Oils: Slow, natural air circulation preserves the maximum concentration of aromatic essential oils within the flower buds.
When to Harvest Lavender for Maximum Fragrance
Timing is everything. If you wait until the lavender flowers are completely open and buzzing with bees, the buds will easily fall off the stems once dried.
For the highest quality dried bundles, harvest your English lavender when the buds are fully formed and colorful, but only the very first few lower flowers have just begun to open. At this stage, the essential oils are at their peak, ensuring your dried lavender maintains its calming scent for months—or even years. This is the stage when Northwoods Lavender brings their bundles of fresh lavender to a farm stand near you. (Watch for these post announcements on our Facebook page, typically in early July. )
Pro Tip: Always cut your lavender in the mid-morning after the morning dew has completely evaporated, but before the heat of the afternoon sun begins to bake out the fragrant oils.
How to Hang Dry English Lavender: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prep Your Stems
Using sharp, clean pruners or floral shears, cut your lavender stems as long as possible, being careful not to cut into the woody base of the plant. Gently shake the stems to brush away any stray garden debris or small insects, and strip away any leaves on the bottom two to three inches of the stems.
Step 2: Create Small, Breathable Bundles
Gather your lavender into small bunches. Aim for roughly 50-75 stems per bundle (fits within the “ok” symbol when using your thumb and pointer finger).
Pro Tip: Avoid the temptation to make massive, thick bundles. If a bundle is too dense, moisture gets trapped in the center, which drastically increases the risk of mold and mildew destroying your harvest.
Step 3: Secure with a Rubber Band
Tie the base of the stems tightly. While twine looks beautiful and rustic, we highly recommend using a standard rubber band or plastibands. As lavender dries, the stems shrink and lose volume. A piece of twine will quickly become loose, causing stems to slide out and crash to the floor. A rubber band dynamically contracts as the stems shrink, keeping the bundle perfectly secure. You can always wrap decorative twine over the top later!
Pro Tip: The oil from the lavender will eat away and dry out standard rubber bands and become brittle so, be careful when you go to touch your dried bundle. Plastibands are less prone to breaking, which increases your chances of success!
Step 4: Find the Perfect Drying Location
Where you hang your lavender determines how vibrant and fragrant it will be. Look for a location that checks these four boxes:
Dark: Keep it completely out of direct sunlight to prevent the color from fading.
Dry: Avoid high-humidity spaces like bathrooms or damp basements.
Well-Ventilated: Good air circulation is crucial. A spare closet, a dry garage, a pantry, or an indoor drying rack with a small fan nearby are all excellent options.
Warm: A warm room speeds up the process naturally.
Step 5: Hang Them Upside Down
Loop a paperclip, S-hook, or piece of twine through the rubber band at the base of your bundle, and suspend it upside down from a clothes hanger, a ceiling hook, or a string line. Make sure to leave a few inches of space between each hanging bundle so air can circulate freely around the flowers.
Our solution: At Northwoods Lavender, we upcycled some barn boards found in our hayloft to create a drying rack. We hang our bundles from finishing nails for super-fast hanging and removal.
How Long Does It Take for Lavender to Dry?
On average, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for lavender bundles to dry completely, depending entirely on the temperature and humidity of your drying space.
How to Tell When Your Lavender is Fully Dry:
The stems should feel stiff and brittle, snapping cleanly like a twig rather than bending.
The flower buds should feel completely dry and papery to the touch.
The entire bundle will feel remarkably light compared to when it was fresh.
Creative Ways to Use Your Dried Lavender
Once your lavender is completely dry, the possibilities are endless!
Stunning Floral Bouquets: Remove the rubber bands, trim the stem ends evenly, and place a bundle into a rustic vase for beautiful, low-maintenance home decor.
Aromatic Sachets: Gently rub the dried bundles between your hands over a large bowl to easily pop the buds off the stems. Fill small fabric sachet bags with the loose buds and a tablespoon of rice and place them in your dresser drawers, closets, or car to keep your clothes and vehicles smelling fresh.
Culinary Delights (English lavender only): Sift your loose English lavender buds through a fine mesh screen to remove any small stem pieces. Use the clean buds to infuse lavender simple syrups, bake fresh lavender blueberry muffins, or craft a refreshing into a relaxing lavender honey lemonade.
Ready to Experience the Farm Fresh Difference?
Now that you know how to perfectly dry your own bundles, it's time to start crafting! Follow our Facebook page to know exactly when and where our fresh lavender bundles will be available for purchase each season.
Do you have further questions about hanging lavender to dry? We welcome you to reach out to us using our contact page.