“The air was fragrant with a thousand trodden aromatic herbs, with fields of lavender, and with the brightest roses blushing in tufts all over the meadows.”
-William C. Bryant
Recently, I was transported to the delights of the French countryside right here in Washington State, at the annual Sequim Lavender Festival! For three days, the entire town is adorned in purple flags heralding the location of the festivities and several dozen friendly volunteers are ready and waiting to guide you around the many attractions.
The sun-drenched landscape of Sequim is already dotted with pretty and fragrant lavender plants on every city block but is especially dazzling from June through September, when the farms are painted in large vibrant swatches of purples, greens, and whites.
The name lavender originates from the Latin verb “lavare,” which means “to wash.”
There is also that delightful three-day festival that I mentioned earlier, with live music, delicious food, scrumptious lavender deserts and lemonade, and vendors with art, jewelry, culinary treats, and bundles and wreaths of fresh lavender, of course!
I treated myself to some sweet little lavender wands, also known as lavender bottles, a traditional flowercraft from Victorian times, and also some lavender sachets for family and friends, and fragrant bundles of fresh cut lavender.
“To make a perfume, take some rose water and wash your hands in it, then take a lavender flower and rub it with your palms, and you will achieve the desired effect.”
-Leonardo da Vinci
Lavender represents serenity, purity, and calmness.
We also visited a very charming and picturesque local farm, Purple Haze Lavender Farm, where I took these photos of the fields. The beautiful farmhouses and gift shop on the property perfectly complemented the purple fields and were picturesque additions to the photos.
The gift shop was filled with lavender treasures – fresh cut bundles, lotions, soaps, candles, and honey! There was live bluegrass music and picnic tables in the shade if you wanted to take a break after strolling through the fields.
Lavender originated in the Mediterranean region, northeast Africa, and southwestern Asia, where it has grown for over 2,000 years.
There are over 45 species of lavender and more than 450 different varieties.
And, of course, where there is lavender, there are also hundreds of buzzing bees, honey and Bumble, and I will soon (in the next few weeks) be doing an entire post on these important little pollinators, so be sure to stay tuned for that! You can also sign up for my newsletter to be sure you don’t miss out!
