Lavender is beautiful when left to complete its bloom in the garden, but is also so lovely and useful in your home. If you have the space in your garden try to plant a few bushes which are meant to be harvested. When your lavender flowers have opened about 1/4 on most stems, cut them to dry in bunches of about 100-125 stems, hold them together with an elastic and hang them upside down in a dark, well ventilated room. In about 2-3 weeks, depending on your humidity, you should have lovely, fragrant dried lavender which will hold its scent for about two years. This lavender may be displayed bunched in vases or rubbed from the stems to create sachets, eye pillows, sleep pillows or potpourris. To refresh the scent of the stripped buds, gently squeeze your sachet to release the scent stored in the oil glands of the buds.