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Home / Gardening Seeds / Seed Saving / How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

By Amy Andrychowicz | 21 Comments

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How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden
How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

Collect lavender seeds from your garden is fun, and you can share them with friends. Below I will show you exactly when and how to harvest lavender seeds, and also how to save them for planting next year.

How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

Lavender is one of my favorite perennial herbs to grow in the garden. I mean, who doesn’t love lavender?

Not only does it look gorgeous in the garden, it attracts tons of bees too. It also smells amazing, and can be used for so many things!

 

I love collecting seeds from my garden so I can grow more of my favorites, or share them with friends. Harvesting lavender seeds is easy, and doesn’t take much time at all.

Lavender growing in my garden

Lavender growing in my garden

Table of Contents

  • Harvesting Lavender Seeds
  • When To Harvest Lavender Seeds
  • What Do Lavender Seeds Look Like
  • How to Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden
  • What To Do With Lavender Seeds After Harvesting
  • Where To Buy Lavender Seeds

Harvesting Lavender Seeds

It’s very easy to harvest lavender seeds and save them to grow next year, or to share with friends.

In order for the plant to form seeds, don’t deadhead the flowers. Instead, leave them on the plant and allow the seeds to mature.

Once they’re ready, collecting lavender seeds from the garden doesn’t take much time. Lavender plant seeds form inside the flower heads, so allow some of the flowers to dry out on the plant.

Related Post: How To Harvest Lavender Fresh From The Garden

Lavender going to seed

Lavender going to seed

When To Harvest Lavender Seeds

After the flowers have faded, lavender seed pods will start to form in their place. Leave those seed pods on the plant until they are completely dried out.

They will turn a light brown/grayish color. You’ll know it’s time to start collecting lavender seeds if seeds start to fly out when you gently shake the plant.

Lavender seed pods

Lavender seed pods

What Do Lavender Seeds Look Like

Lavender seeds are pretty small, but it’s not hard to see them. The seeds are black, and they’re about half the size of a sesame seed.

Related Post: How To Prune Lavender Plants

Lavender flower seeds and chaff

Lavender flower seeds and chaff

How to Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

To collect lavender seeds, I like to gently shake the seed pods over a bucket or other similar container.

You could also clip the seed pods off the plant, and drop them into a paper bag. Then fold the top of the bag over and shake it to release the lavender seeds from the seed pods.

Lavender flower seeds usually come out of the pods pretty clean, but there will be some chaff (extra bits of seed pods and other plant material).

If you want to separate the seeds from the chaff (you don’t need to do this), dump them onto a flat surface, and lightly blow on the pile. The lighter pieces of chaff will blow away.

Related Post: How To Dry Lavender From Your Garden

Collecting lavender seeds from my garden

Collecting lavender seeds from my garden

What To Do With Lavender Seeds After Harvesting

Allow the seeds to dry out completely before storing them. Lavender seeds need a cold period (aka cold stratifying) in order to grow, so you should refrigerate them for a few months before planting.

Once they’re dry, lavender seeds can be stored in plastic containers (film canisters work great!), a paper bag, or in small envelopes.

I like to store mine in a plastic shoe box, but if you’re more organized than I am, a Seed Keeper would be perfect.

If you want to share them with friends, try these custom seed envelopes. Learn how to make your own seed envelopes here.

Related Post: How To Propagate Lavender Plants From Cuttings

Where To Buy Lavender Seeds

If you don’t already have lavender growing in your garden, you can usually find lavender seeds for sale at your local garden center mid-winter through spring.

Otherwise, you can always buy lavender seeds online. Here are some great, quality seeds you can buy to get started…

  • English Lavender Seeds
  • French Lavender Seeds
  • Provence Blue Lavender Seeds
  • Lavender Hidcote Dwarf Seeds

Saving lavender seeds is rewarding, and it’s easy too. Take a little time to collect lavender seeds, and you’ll have lots of them to share with your friends, or trade for other garden seeds.

Now that you know how to collect the seeds, learn how to grow lavender in our detailed lavender plant care guide!

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If you want to learn how to start seeds indoors, then my Starting Seeds Indoors eBook is for you! It’s a quick-start guide to get you sowing seeds quickly, so that you can saving money by starting your garden plants indoors from seed. Download your copy today!

Otherwise, if you’re looking for more help, then enroll in the Online Seed Starting Course! This fun, comprehensive course will show you everything you need to know to grow all of you own plants from seed.

Products I Recommend

More Posts About Collecting Seeds

  • How To Collect Butterfly Weed Seeds From The Garden
  • How To Harvest Dill Seeds From Your Garden
  • How To Harvest Chive Seeds & Save Them
  • How To Collect Cilantro Seeds From Your Garden

Share your tips for collecting lavender seeds in the comments section below.

How To Collect Lavender Seeds From Your Garden

About Amy Andrychowicz

I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. I’m a passionate gardener who loves growing everything from vegetables, herbs, and flowers to succulents, tropicals, and houseplants - you name, I've grown it! Read More...

Comments

  1. Roberta Lepage says

    June 9, 2020 at 2:20 pm

    if you have purchased dried lavender flowers by mistake (instead of seeds) and you plant them, will they grow anything? Do the dried flowers contain seeds?

    *I might have done this by mistake lol

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      June 16, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      Oh no, LOL! Unfortunately, the dried flowers likely will not contain any seeds. They’re usually harvested and dried before the buds even open. Lavender seeds don’t usually form until the flowers fade and the petals fall off.

      Reply
  2. Beverly says

    February 15, 2019 at 8:08 am

    Is there a particular type of lavender I should grow for use in teas and salves? I live in the Gulf Coast area of Florida and I get confused with all the different varieties available. I’m about to retire and plan to spend more time ‘homesteading’. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      February 22, 2019 at 12:55 pm

      English lavender is the best variety for oils and fragrance, but it grow better in cold climates. So, it may not do well for you in Florida if it’s too warm. Here’s a post I wrote that’s all about lavender, and it has a section where I discuss the different varieties, hope it will help… How To Care For Lavender Plants

      Reply
  3. Susie Hardy says

    September 22, 2018 at 8:32 pm

    Could someone explain the cold process to me?
    Thank you, I live in the mountains in Southern California.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      September 27, 2018 at 9:45 am

      It’s called “cold stratification”. You can just put the seeds in your refrigerator for a month or so. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Rebecca Flack says

    July 18, 2018 at 8:21 pm

    when the flowers are done blooming do i trim the tops off or just let them fall to the ground?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      July 23, 2018 at 5:57 pm

      If you want to collect lavender seeds, then you should leave the flowers on the plant until they dry out and form seeds.

      Reply
  5. Hollie says

    February 9, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    I love lavender! We live in Florida, ive tried three times to grow! And failed three times! Im trying one more time. A lady at Lowe’s said use packing peanuts and only water once a week.. we just had a cold snap.. can I get the seeds out of the gray colored ones?
    How to start seeds indoors?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      March 5, 2018 at 9:37 am

      Just make sure that your pot also has drainage holes in the bottom. Packing peanuts in a pot w/o drainage won’t do anything. Also, always check the soil before watering, rather than watering on a set schedule. You might find that the soil dries out faster than once a week, or you might find that it’s still moist after a week. Stick your finger one inch into the soil and if it feels dry, then water it. But, if it’s wet, then wait to water. As for collecting lavender seeds, yes, check the gray colored seed pods to see if there are seeds in there. Simply shake the seed pods over a container, or cut them off and drop them into the container as described above.

      Reply
  6. emily b says

    September 24, 2017 at 2:33 am

    Have you ever heard of anyone using the actual seeds in cooking/culinary uses?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      October 2, 2017 at 1:12 pm

      Lavender flowers yes, but I’ve never heard of using the seeds for cooking.

      Reply
    • Margaret says

      August 8, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      Try the “The Lavender Cookbook”

      Reply
  7. Patsy Heath says

    August 18, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    When would I plant my seeds to “winter over” the seeds?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      August 28, 2017 at 11:57 am

      Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re asking. Are you asking when you would plant your lavender seeds using the winter sowing method?

      Reply
  8. Jess Lee says

    July 9, 2017 at 8:57 am

    Hello,
    I have lots of very old lavender seeds (about several years old) from a friend who liked to place them inside the house for fregrance. Would they be okay to plant and grow? Or they can be just for decoration.
    Have a nice day!
    Best,
    Jess

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      July 11, 2017 at 1:42 pm

      Unfortunately, lavender seeds are usually only viable for a 2-3 years. If you want, you could certainly try doing a simple viability test on a few of them to make sure. Here’s how… How To Test Viability Of Garden Seeds

      Reply
  9. Debra Bury says

    June 10, 2017 at 4:46 am

    I have a lavender tree/Bush. It produces beautiful flowers. In the fall, it has tiny round “seeds” what kind is this and why can’t I get more of the same seeds to grow.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      June 13, 2017 at 7:58 pm

      Humm… I’m not sure what type of lavender you have. Lavender seeds need cold stratification in order to grow. So, after you collect seeds from your lavender plant, make sure to give them a cold period before planting them.

      Reply
  10. Hi says

    September 4, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    Thanks! My lavender is different to yours thought. I have to spend a lot of time opening every single bud/pocket. My lavender attracts lots of bees.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      September 7, 2015 at 8:16 pm

      Interesting, thanks for sharing

      Reply

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Amy Andrychowicz is the creator and owner of Get Busy Gardening (getbusygardening.com), an author, a blogger, and a passionate gardener.

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