A few years ago, I went to the Prince Edward County Lavender Farm and loved it so much that I went back a few days later with my mom so we could experience it together. We had the most delightful day.
The endless rows of lavender in bloom are an extraordinarily beautiful site. The blueish flowers have a subtle hue reminiscent of the soft light of dusk, and when you run your fingers over the flowers, their delicate scent lingers on the skin. Nature’s sillage. Magical.
Lavender is often associated to Provence, and for good reason. Grasse, which was known for its leather tanning industry in the Middle Ages, was tormented by such bad smells produced by the tanning process, that the labourers started perfuming gloves and factories with lavender. And this little idea sparked the grand perfume industry in Provence.
In the early 1900’s, when vineyards were devastated across Europe by pests, the grape farmers in Provence were able to quickly change their crop to lavender and having ideal weather and terrain conditions for this flower, they became important suppliers to the new perfume industry that was exploding in Grasse.
There is an entire museum dedicated to lavender in Provence. The Musée de la Lavande. Its mission is to honor the plant that saved their farmlands. They teach about the lavande d’exception - the exceptional lavender grown in Provence, about the distillation process of lavender essential oil, and offer lavender braiding and sachet making workshops. They also teach about the 888 rule of lavender, one must prune lavender 8 inches on the 8th day of the 8th month, and your plant will flower for years. This rule just serves as a reminder to prune lavender short and early.
There are 45 species of lavender, and over 450 varieties. Some have naturally occurred through cross-pollination, and some are cultivated hybrids.
Lavandin is an example of a naturally cross-pollinated variety. Bees carried pollen from true lavender flowers, which thrive at high altitude, to spike lavender flowers, which thrive at low altitude, and a very hearty and bountiful variety of lavender was formed. Its scent is not as delicately floral as true lavender, it is slightly camphorous and herbaceous.
In our Summer blend, we chose to use organic true lavender from Bulgaria. It is
distinctively fresh, delicately floral, and has some fruity notes that pair exquisitely well
with ylang ylang. I hope you try it, and I hope you enjoy it.
With gratitude and 64 acres of joy,
