Dried lavender and the scent of lavender have long been associated with linen cupboards and laundry. This is because lavender contains a natural insect repellent which helps to keep moths and other unwanted lodgers at bay, such as ants and silverfish (and probably cockroaches, at least to some extent). Lavender smells much nicer on clothes than mothballs by a long chalk. It may also be used in the vacuum cleaner to prevent the bad smell of dust when doing the domestic cleaning.

Most people associate dried lavender flowers in the home with dried flower arrangements and potpourri. If you want it for the scent rather than for the looks, the old-fashioned pot-pourri bowl is best. Stirring the dried flowerheads of the lavender releases the scent. If the lavender gets a bit old and tired and loses its scent, replace it with fresh lavender or else add a few drops of lavender essential oil to recharge the scent.

Lavender bags are another traditional way of keeping your linens (and all your other clothes) smelling fresh and for keeping insects away. This allows the scent of lavender to get into the clothing in your drawer, but the dried flower heads don’t break off, leaving you with itchy dried bits in your knickers. You can buy ready-made lavender bags at gift shops and the like. These are usually made from delicate floral cotton lawn and trimmed with lace and ribbon, but this fabric choice doesn’t affect the scent. A hanky tied shut with a rubber band or a bit of string does just as good a job, and there’s no rule engraved in stone saying that you can’t make a lavender bag out of camo print tied shut with thin rope (now there’s an unexploited market niche…). If you put some lavender bags in your wardrobe will make your room smell fresh and like it’s just been cleaned by your house cleaner.

A lavender bag can be used as a bath bag. Drop one in your bath. This can only be used once or twice. If you want to make a larger lavender bag, you can use it as a cushion. The scent will be released when it is sat on.

Bunches of dried lavender kept in one piece by bits of string or ribbon are best kept for sheets and pillowcases, as these get shaken out before use and so the problem of little bits getting stuck and itching you is less of a problem. Tuck these bunches of lavender into piles of sheets at regular intervals and move the periodically as the sheets get used. Make sure the lavender is dried before you put it into the sheets – dry stuff might go off or get odd smears on your best white Egyptian cottons.

Lavender bottles are a fancier variation on the bunches that have slightly less likelihood of shedding bits. To make a lavender bottle, get a bunch of fresh lavender and tie them tightly together just below the flower head. Then bend the stalks down so they enclose the flowers in a sort of cage. Tie the stems down below the flower head just below where you tied them at first, and then tie them together again at the ends. It looks a bit like a very long-necked bottle; hence the name.

Lavender bunches and bottles can also be kept in kitchen cupboards to deter ants and the like. It’s best to store them in dried goods that won’t get too badly affected by the scent/taste of lavender. A good suggestion that doesn’t leave you with lavender-flavoured salt or beans is to put the bunches on the shelf or in the cupboard between the boxes, containers and bags of dry goods, which should put the ants and silverfish off before they find their way into your flour.

One way to preserve flowers and use in crafts is by hanging them to dry. If you decide to preserve your flowers whole, and intact, you will need to decide this before they have fully bloomed. If a flower has opened up too much, when it is dried the petals will fall off. The brighter and more vivid the fresh flower is, the better color it will have as it dries. If you want more intense colors, be sure to start with that trait in the fresh flower. If the dried flower will be used with it’s stem, it would be best to wire the stem while the flower is still fresh. Then attach the flower, upside down, to a wire hanger and leave in a dark place for two to three weeks. If the dried flowers will be stored a while before use, cover them with a light material, such as tissue paper to keep the dust off.

After following drying instructions bouquets can be placed as a wall hanging next to the wedding photo, in a shadow box, or simply placed on a table or in a hutch. After flowers are dried they can also be put back in a vase and set on a table. If a single flower is preserved, perhaps to save on space, it can be laid over the wedding frame on in front of the wedding photo. Individually dried flowers can also be used when making a wreath. Flowers do not have to have special meaning, any flower that dries well can be used to make an arrangement. In addition to adding a variety of leaves, berries, ribbon or other embellishments, dried flowers look beautiful in a wreath. Sometimes less is more, if your wreath is not looking right, try lessening the amount of items in it.

Flowers can also be preserved by being pressed. This method is simple and can be used for things you want to keep forever, or for special cards or invitations. Pressed flowers are very versatile in their uses. When making wedding announcements a pressed flower of the wedding colors is a beautiful addition to the invitations. They can also be used to make cards or baby announcements. Another option for pressed flowers is to place them as a garden scene in an old window or frame. Glue them on a separate piece of glass, not part of the original frame, cut to the same size and then placed and secured to the frame. Any size can be attractive and used any where in a home, from a bathroom to bedroom. The flowers do not have to be the center of the picture, but can also be placed around a photo or poem on the mat. This is a wonderful way to incorporate the flowers to the event, but do it in a small, elegant way.

If you can find a way to preserve special memories they will bring joy for years. Although fresh flowers are beautiful, dried ones can be just as enjoyable. By finding various ways to use your flowers, you will be surrounded by your memories and remember those happy times when life might be more difficult.

To make a dried flower arrangement, place your vase on a lazy Susan, stick the base of the vase with floral clay and fix a piece of foam into your vase. With lepidium, lavender, and straw give an overall shape to your arrangement. Now, fill in the center with flax, galax leaves, maidenhair fern, or foliage. Place flowers in descending order of size—begin with large flowers such as hydrangea, and then move on to medium sized flowers, spacing them evenly. For better effect, add larkspur, delphinium, or dried flax.