The romantic notion of fragrant, purple rows of lavender evokes thoughts of Provence. In our vicinity there are a few lavender farms including Laveanne in Campbellcroft and Millefleurs in Prince Edward County, and they serve as an inspiration for what we could do, although perhaps on a smaller scale. As we like to say, “We’ll see where we get to…”
Over the winter I’ve enjoyed reading, "The Lavender Lover's Handbook", by Sarah Berringer Bader. In 2000, Sarah started off with 365 lavender plants on her 5 acre farm in Portland, Oregon, despite knowing nothing about planting lavender. It was trial and error, along with help from a little-known society of lavender pioneers who had dedicated their careers to growing true species of lavender. By 2005, Sarah was planting almost 5000 lavender plants, and overtime has grown into an expert through her experiences at her farm, Lavender at Stonegate.
Millefleurs in Prince Edward County Jumping in a bit more gently, we have 20 plants on order from Terrebleu in Elora. These are made up of: Royal Velvet (5), Folgate (5), Phenomenal (4), Super Blue (4), and Melissa (2). SevenMaples is located in Planting Zone 6b and all these varieties are good within this range. The rows of lavender will be built up overtime on the west side of the property. The future vision "2026" map for SevenMaples shows where the lavender will be located. We'll make a humble start in 2023 and go from there.
Here are some brief descriptions of the plants we are starting out with. Based on how these do, we’ll invest in more in 2024. Photo credits below: Terrebleu
Royal Velvet is dark purple and grows up to 36 inches high and wide. It is an English lavender with a classic soft lavender scent and its longer stems make it ideal for bouquets.
Folgate is dark purple and also grows up to 36 inches high and wide with a classic soft scent. It is an English lavender and can be used for bouquets and for culinary purposes.
Phenomenal is light purple and grows up to 36 inches high and wide. It is a classic French lavender, similar to what you’d see in Provence. It has high levels of camphor and is highly fragrant. It has a soapy scent compared to English, which is more sweet. It is great for any kind of aromatic use, and its very high oil yield (3 times the English lavender) makes it attractive for growers and distillers.
Super Blue is deep violet blue. It is an English lavender that grows up to 12 inches high and wide. It can bloom up to 3 times over the season and has a classic, soft scent. Its beautiful, deep blue colour holds even when dried. The dried buds also work for culinary purposes and have a lovely fruity, floral flavour.
Melissa is white/light pink. It is an English lavender that can grow up to 24 inches high and 18 inches wide. It has a soft lavender scent with citrus notes. It has an abundant oil yield and when dried is a nice addition to bouquets.
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