8th August
☀️Ignoring the weather today the next 3 days are going to be warm and sunny and the Lavender Field is open Friday to Sunday 11am - 4pm.
As I write this I am distilling the Maillette lavender for essential oil and floral water or hydrosol and I still have 6 more rows to harvest. As this finishes, the Dutch Lavandin (pictured) is coming along nicely. It is larger, paler and with a stronger scent and doesn’t dry to more than a pale grey but it is very good for filling lavender bags to put in your wardrobe to fight off the months. You can pick a bunch of this or we do have some flowers on the Grosso lavender which is a darker purple and I have also left a few Maillette which are only just beginning to bloom so you could make up a mixed bunch. Whichever you choose it costs £5 to PYO, scissors and elastic bands provided and a little tuition but we also have some already dried Folgate bunches which are a deep blue if you prefer.
Entry costs £3 for adults and £1 for school age children. Some people drive in and straight out of the car park and I don’t know whether it is because I am charging an entry fee or because the field wasn’t what they expected. The fee is to reflect all the hard work that goes in to preparing the field for opening to visitors. All the mowing, strimming and weeding so it looks good for your photos and the reason I write this each week is so you know what to expect and aren’t disappointed. The field is 4 acres and we have nearly finished planting and no we aren’t as big as some fields but it is an opportunity for you to visit with family or friends pick a bunch, choose a gift or plant and have some tea and cake with or without your dog without the crowds. At the moment we don’t get loads of visitors and if we get to that stage I will sell tickets so it doesn’t lose it’s calmness but for now you can just turn up but do check Goggle first as I always keep the opening hours up to date there. I think we are now one of the few Lavender fields still open due to our late flowering Dutch Lavandin..
Anyway enough for now I need to switch over the measuring jug which is rapidly filling with lovely smelling lavender oil and water.
Speak soon Louise 😊💜x
