Don't Throw Out Extra Lavender Cuttings: Make Eye-Catching Lanterns

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Lavender is beloved in the garden for its lovely fragrance, purple flowers and therapeutic properties. Harvesting begins for the plant once half of it has purple blooms. Lavender also requires pruning in the spring and fall or else the plant will become leggy, meaning sparse and not as full. Either way, as you collect those cuttings, don't throw them out, because there are lots of creative ways to incorporate lavender into your landscape on the patio. It's one of many beautiful DIYs that will light up your backyard.

Use some string to tie the cuttings into a DIY lantern for your outdoor or indoor patio. The flowers should stay fresh for about 2-4 weeks before drying out, but even then, it can add a new dimension to the fixture. For this DIY, you'll need lavender cuttings from the garden, plus your preferred type of string, a solar or regular light bulb to put in a lantern cord like this DiCUNO Hanging Lantern Extension Cord Cable, and an extension cord to power it.

To start, harvest or prune your lavender plants to gather about four dozen blooming stems. Then, take a strong string, like green or brown garden twine, and weave them together, tying several knots around the end of stems; the lavender blooms should be facing downward. Wrap the joined lavender around your light bulb at least twice and tie the ends. Continue fastening the string at the stems' middle to help it keep a round, lantern-like shape.

Once you're done, hang it indoors or outside and enjoy the lavender scent from the blooms. If you want more light, add some twinkling fairy lights to the stems themselves. The lavender cuttings will dry after 2-4 weeks, but should stay fragrant for the rest of the season. The blooms' purple color, however, may fade after a year if it's exposed to the sun. Don't feel limited to just lavender though. If you have other florals, like baby's breath, feverfew, or other easy-to-grow garden fillers, you can help the lantern match your unique aesthetic.