Do you love LAVENDER? If so, join us on LAVENDER DAZE 2009, Saturday, July 11 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, July 12 (1 p.m.to 4 p.m.) for celebrations of this special herb. We now grow over60 different varieties of lavender, many of which are available for sale at our farm. Click Lavender Daze Schedule for each day's activities.
There will be displays of lavender plants, demonstrations, cultural tips, make it and take it crafts for you to try, and a special Lavender Lemonade served in the Barn. The Barn Gift Shop will be filled with the scents and lavender products. Don't miss these very Special Daze!
Varieties of Lavender on display at the farm
The “English” Lavenders (Lavendula angustifolia)
Generally hardy, if given well-drained soil and full sun.
"Ashdown Forest"-Short bloom stalks, highly fragrant.
Fairly compact, forming mounds about 10” tall.
"Baby Blue"-Very compact, with vivid violet blooms. A
tough little character! 10" tall
"Betty's Blue"-a really tough plant for the landscape.
Compact, tidy. Medium lavender-blue blooms on short stems. 12"
"Blue Cushion"-tidy, compact mounds. Performs well for us. Lightly fragrant, medium color. 12"
"Blue River"-new to us this year
"Blue Scent"new to us this year
"Bowles' Early"-medium color, average size.
"Buena Vista"-medium lavender blooms with nice stems.
Often reblooms. A bit sprawly. 18-20"
"Coconut Ice"-small to medium height, short stems. Blooms are a pale pink. Slow growing.
“Croxton’s Wild”- fluffy light lavender-blue blooms, vigorous. Not quite as compact
as other English varieties. One of my favorites because it blooms so early. Very tough and reliable. 18”
"De Lavande"-light lavender blooms, 18"
"Dwarf Blue"-very compact, not as reliably hardy as Blue Cushion.
"Edelweiss"-a compact white plant. Does well here.
"Folgate"-one of my favorites, we should have plants available
next season. Dark purple blooms, upright. 20"
"Graves"-another winner, with medium purple blooms, tidy, 22"
""Gray Lady"-an old variety, quick growing, compact. Dark flowers.
“Hidcote”-from the famous Hidcote Manor in England. Noted for
its dark blue blooms.
"Hidcote Pink"-pale pink blooms on a compact plant. 18"
"Imperial Gem"-very, very dark blooms, tidy, 18"
“Jean Davis”—low-growing, very compact. Pinkish white blooms. 15”
“Lady”-All-American winner, blooms first year from seed.
In our experience, rather spindly, and only lasted one season.
"Lavance Purple"
"Loddon Pink"More a lavender-pink than pure pink, but nicely upright with strong stems.
"Mailette"A really lovely plant with dark purple blooms.
"Marge Clark"A pale lavender bloom on fairly long stems. Named for our Hoosier auther/herbalist Marge Clark, who gave herbal cooking demonstrations across the country before her death in a automobile accident.
"Martha Roderick"-an old variety, low compact, pale lavender blooms.
“Melissa”—long-blooming with unusual flowers, pink and white
mixed (look white from a distance). Compact habit, 20” in bloom.
"Miss Katherine"-a spreading width and medium height. Very fragrant. An award-winning pink.
"Mitcham Gray"-not always hardy for us, but worth the risk.
Deep purple blooms and silvery foliage. 20"
“Munstead”—the most common, readily available in most garden
centers. Medium blue blooms. Supposedly from Gertrude Jekyll’s
garden, Munstead Woods, England.
“Pastor’s Pride”-dark lavender blooms.
"Premier"-a really nice lavender color on tidy plants.
15-18"
"Princess Blue"-Vigorous plant with medium "blue" flowers.
"Provence Blue" Quick growing, medium lavender blue blooms.
"Purple Bouquet"
“Rosea”—pink flowered variety, fragrant. Not as uniform
as Jean Davis.
"Royal Purple"Similar to Royal Velvet, but so far, not as long-stemmed. Very pretty color.
"Royal Velvet"-a real show-stopper. Deep violet blooms
on long stems. Flowers hold tight to the stems when dried. Prolific. This is the one to use for wreaths! 20"
"Sachet"--light purple blooms, very fragrant. 18"
"Sarah"-very pale lavender, fluffy blooms on tidy plants.
15"
"Seal Seven Oaks"-A vigorous upright plant, rather columnar. Blooms are a soft lavender on medium stems. Very durable.
"Tucker's Early Purple"-named for Art Tucker, early as the name
implies, and purple, too! 12-14"
“Twickel Purple”—an old English variety, very fragrant, lavender
bloom. Not always hardy for us.
“Vera”—ancient English variety, some claim the “true lavender”.
Compact.
“White Dwarf”—a white-bloomed English form. Winters well for us.
"Wyckoff" Dark purple blooms in a mid-size plant. Nicely upright and tidy.
The “French” Lavenders (Lavendula dentata)
Tender perennials, requiring average soil, sun, and a bit more moisture
than the English types. Grow quickly during one season, usually reaching
24”
"Allardii"-silvery foliage, tall, quick growing.
“French Green”-quick growing, fragrant foliage. Pale,
pale lavender blooms. Nicely “toothed” foliage.
“Goodwin Creek Gray”—fast-growing with silvery, velvety foliage.
Bright purple blooms all summer! Young plants bloom at an early age.
"Lambkins"-fast-growing with silvery, soft leaves.
“Linda Ligon”-variegated green and gold foliage. Named for the
founder of “Herb Companion” magazine. Pale, pale lavender blooms.
Serenity"-more compact, green foliage. Nearly white blooms.
The Lavandins (L. angustifolia x L. latifolia)
Reputed to be less rot-prone over wet winters than the English types,
but not quite as reliably hardy. Need excellent drainage and some
protection from bitter winds, as they are quite tall—often 24-36”
Long, long bloom stalks, often 15” or more!
"Abrialli"-distinctive, deep purple blooms. We picked
over 200 long, long stems from individual 2nd year plants!
"Caty Blanc"-white form. Wintered well.
“Dilly Dilly”-from Australia, where there are several lavender
farms growing acres of lavandins.
"Dutch Mill"-rom the famous Dutch Mill Nursery. 36” tall,
silvery-white foliage, long bloom period. Lavender-blue blooms
"Fat Spike"Some question as to whether this is just Grosso with a different name, but our plants seem to be slightly different. Nice purple color and long stemmed, very prolific.
“Fred Boutin”-vigorous variety, usually growing wider than it
is tall. Very silvery-gray. Only 18” tall, violet blooms.
“Grosso”-one of the standard varieties now used in the field
production in France. Usually grows 20-24”. Deep violet blooms
on long stems. Extremely productive--500 stems on 3rd year plants!
"Hidcote Giant"-the name says it all. We'll have these
available next spring. 36"
"Lullingstone Castle"-quick-growing plant of substance.
Medium lavender blooms on long stems. 26"
"Old English"-really nice plant with medium lavender-blue blooms,
long stems. Prolific. 34"
“Provence”—Highly fragrant, used in field production of lavender
oil. Bloom stalks are often 20” in length. Mauve-lavender blooms.
"Seal"-very tall, long stems. When you see it in the garden, it has a "thinner" look than most of the other lavenders.
"Skylark"-Similar to Sleeping Beauty in appearance to me.
"Sleeping Beauty"-a pretty lavender with soft purple blooms,
medium long stems. Very productive and pretty in the garden. 20"
"Super"-we've had this one for years. Huge blooms on long
stalks. You can make some big wands with this one! 35"
“White”—a new development in lavandins. 30”, white blooms,
silvery leaves.
"White Provence"-Extremely hardy and reliable. Pure white blooms on long stems.
Others
“French Lace” (Lavendula multifida) green, toothed foliage,
purple blooms, even in winter on a windowsill! Not hardy in winter outdoors.
“Otto Quast Spanish” (Lavendula stoechas) unusual, “tongued” blooms of dark purple. Not hardy outdoors in winter. I have trouble getting it to bloom!
"Richard Gray"A very showy lavender, with white foliage, dark flowers. Reputed to be Lavandula x chaytorae, discovered in the mid 1980's at Kew Gardens, London. Similar to "Sawyers", but shorter, and sprawls a bit more for us.
"Sawyers"-the most white-leaved lavender we grow. Supposedly not hardy here, but ours has been in the field for 4 years with no protection, even in below zero weather! Lavandula lanata.
“Sweet Lavender” (Lavender heterophylla) reputed to be the highest
in oil content. Taller than the English, but not as silvery as the
lavandins. Not hardy outdoors in winter.
"Wooly"very white leaves, made it through the first winter here, but sadly, not the second.
Lavender flowers have been marketed for centuries to fill sachets. Known for their clean, refreshing scent, they are popular in potpourri and candles. Lavender blooms were also steeped in vinegar by Victorian ladies for use when they “swooned” or had the “vapors”. They are sometimes used in cooking, especially in desserts such as shortbread, whipped cream rolls, and puddings.
England was famous for its lavender farms, but there is only one, Norfolk Lavender, left. Land has become too valuable, and lavender has become cheap. Most lavender farms are now located in New Zealand and Australia.
Lavender Handwater
Combine 1 cup lavender flowers, 1 c. thyme, 1 c. rosemary in a bottle
of white wine. Set in a sunny window for two to three weeks (this
should be done in summer when there is heat produced by the sunshine).
Strain. Use to cleanse hands, or drink as a cordial!
Lavender Tea
Reported to be a favorite of Elizabeth I. Mix 3 T. fresh or 1
T. dried lavender flowers with 2 c. boiling water. Allow to steep
for 3-5 min. Strain. Sweeten with honey. Lavender tea
has often been used for headaches.
Lavender Salad
It was once common in England to serve any fruit salad with a sprinkling
of lavender blooms on a bed of lettuce. It does give it a very different,
and quite appealing flavor! We especially like green grapes, orange
slices, and strawberries mixed with the lavender flowers and a splash of
Grand Marnier, then allowed to blend in the refrigerator for a bit before
serving.
Lavender Honey
The best lavender honey comes from hives placed near the lavender beds,
where the bees create the honey from the lavender pollen. However,
you can create your own lavender honey by heating light clover honey gently
in a double boiler. Add dried lavender blooms and stir gently.
Turn off heat, cover, and allow to cool. Gently reheat the honey
'til it is liquid. Strain out the flowers. Pour into jar.
Lavender honey is wonderful on toast, biscuits, or in tea with a bit of
lemon for a sore throat.
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