Dried Lavender & Rosemary

Yes they will fall apart. The leaves turn barbed when they are dry, and shed. I dry lavender and rosemary from my garden every Autumn.

ETA: By July, you should be able to get fresh Rosemary and lavender. My lavender starts springing up in May, and I live in a cold clime.

Dried herbs are a little delicate, yeah. How much do you need to manipulate the stems? You would be able to bunch them into bouquets, but not much more than that without risking the stems breaking.

I love both scents, but I know some people on my family are really sensitive to lavender. Something to think about!

@JessieJV any tips to growing lavender? Mine never grow! Seriously one of my most favorite scents in the world!

@Nikol - You need to have fairly sandy soil and full sun for most of the day. They like complementary plants like peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. Also, if you live in a cold clime, you need to cover them in straw before the hard frost.

Thanks for the input!

Darn it. I was hoping to use dried because I'm not sure if the bushes will be able to supply enough fresh stems at the time. I have access to about 8 bushes of lavender and one giant rosemary bush. @JessieJV How much can I expect to get in one harvest in July from that?

Considering sensitivity to the scent is smart. I don't think I'd use so much that it would be overwhelming, though.

It depends how big the lavender bushes are. They can be 1' to 2' long. You also don't want to deplete the bushes. What else will you be working with? I would only recommend maybe up to 4-5 sprigs of lavender and 1-2 of Rosemary.

ETA: Can you get other wild flowers? Camomile? Yarrow?

@JessieJV Thank you so much!!!!

@Nikol, your plants can last up to 10 years. However, they are prone to winterkill. You have to protect them if you live in a cold area. Also, you don't need to water them very often, people make the mistake of overwatering them.

@JEssieJV I'm in So Cal, warmer climate, but the pot I had them in wasn't sandy soil. I had a huge tree pot filled with planting soil I was using. It got enough sun, but nothing ever really grew. I might have over watered too...I will try again and not water so much. That's the only plant of mine that I haven't been able to get going. My FH has a light and an aquaponic (I think thats what it's called...fish tank with pots on top to grow seeds) set up and normally starts my seeds for me, then I re plant. We didn't try with the lavender because I was afraid of the water getting polluted.

@Nikol - then you just change the soil out. The crappier, the better. It should grow year round.

@JessieJV I will this weekend. My backyard is filled with shitty sandy soil, so I'll fill it up with that! Thank you so much for the tips! I can't wait to have my house smell like fresh lavender <3

Okay, I think I'll stick with keeping the lavender and rosemary to a minimum in the centerpieces, etc.

Thanks again!