About Our Farm
My Dream
During the summer of 2005, I made a life-altering decision to live my dream. I plowed, tilled and, over the next two years, planted 3,600 lavender plants on a gently-sloping two-acre field. I selected varieties hardy in our Michigan Zone 5. Our farm is in a micro climate called the "fruit belt", surrounded by cherry orchards and vineyards. While our winters can be severe, we have enough snowfall to insulate our plants and the soil is ideal for lavender, having a naturally high ph value.
Organic Lavender Varieties
All our lavender is grown organically. Our field is covered with a barrier fabric for weed control and a drip irrigation system is used during our driest months.
Lavandula Angustifolia cultivars (sometimes called true or English lavenders) are the hardiest and most fragrant of all lavender cultivars and tend to flower earlier than L. x intermedia cultivars. Our L. angustifolia cultivars include:
- Buena Vista
- Folgate
- Hidcote
- Irene Doyle
- Mailette
- Melissa
- Royal Purple
- Sachet
- Skylark
- Violet Intrigue
Lavandin cultivars ( Lavandula x intermedia ) are hybrids between Lavendula Angustifolia and L. latifolia . Although the actual plant may be similar in size to L. Angustifolia cultivars, their flower spikes are much taller. Most lavandins have a strong and less sweet fragrance than L. Angustifolia and flower two to four weeks later. Our lavandin cultivars include:
- Abriallii
- Cathy Blanc
- Gros Blue
- Grosso
- Hidcote Giant
- Provence
- Super
- White Spike
Harvesting and Distillation
Each plant is lovingly cared for and individually pruned in the fall. We harvest by hand, bundle the bouquets and hang them from drying racks in the barn. When dried, the bundles can be displayed in a favorite vase or used in crafts. The dried buds can be stripped, cleaned and used for culinary purposes or used in sachets or potpourri.
This summer we will start distilling our lavender. We will then be able to offer a number of new products using our essential oil.
Remember to bookmark this site so you can check back to see our new creations.
