Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 09:00 pm
The custom of weaving freshly picked lavender stems into a stick dates back to Victorian England. At that time, people liked to use flowers for such handicrafts, among other things because people could “communicate” through flowers. Each flower had a certain meaning attributed to it. It is said, for example, that the French Sun King Louis XIV gave a bouquet of lavender to selected ladies as a sign of his affection.
Instructions for a lavender stick
Nowadays, of course, such a pretty lavender stick can be used in other ways, for example, as a decoration for gifts, as a substitute for fragrance bags in the closet or for a beautiful room fragrance in a vase. For weaving you will need:
- an even number of freshly picked lavender stems including blossoms
- a beautiful fabric ribbon, e.g. satin
- a piece of string
- a pair of scissors
Process fresh lavender, if possible, because the drier the plant, the more brittle the stems and flowers. Proceed as follows when weaving:
- Tie a bouquet of lavender that is as uniform as possible.
- Knot the twine just below the flower spikes.
- Now wrap the ribbon over the twine, leaving one short end and one long end.
- The short end will not be needed again until you tie the knot.
- Now fold the stems evenly over the flower spikes.
- When doing this, do not allow the stems to kink.
- Now “weave” the satin ribbon in and always tie two stems together.
- Braid as tightly as possible.
- Weave the lavender until you reach the end of the flower spikes.
- Now tie a tight knot that will probably need to be retied in a few days.
- Tie a pretty bow.
- Tie a summer lavender wreath.
Also a pretty, summer decoration is a lavender wreath, which you can hang, for example, in a window or on the front door. For this you will need:
- a ring made of straw, brushwood, wire or wood
- thin floral wire
- a few bunches of lavender with stems and flowers.
Again, use only freshly picked lavender if possible. Now take a small bundle of lavender and lay it flat on the ring. Wrap the stems about two to three times with the wire. Now place the flower spikes of another bundle on the wrapped stems and fasten this bundle again as in the way described. Proceed in this manner until you have wrapped the entire ring with lavender.
Tips & Tricks
Feel free to combine the lavender wreath with other flowers, such as bright yellow holy herb or red roses.