Operation Lavender
Twilight Project Updates 2011 / 4
Operation Lavender was the project name for replacing ten of the lavender plants in the Winter Spiral, an enormous walk in circle, comprised of a grouping of 18 different apple trees with lavenders planted in between each.
Last June, Twilight saw a wildfire sweeping through the property and by good fortune the flames snaked around the outbuildings, orchards & gardens in a fashion that minimized destruction to all that i hold dear. That is not to say that we did not sustain damages or loss around the property but the way it burned was truly a miracle.
One of my enormous nine year old French lavender Grosso, for example, was burned to death.
I only had four of this variety of lavender planted in this circle... each producing about one pound of organic lavender bud per year... handpicked & processed by me to sell in bulk in the brizel4TheAnimals shop !
Brizel4TheAnimals Organic Lavender Bud
French lavender is one of the most popular lavenders... not only because folks use it to make potporri, sachets and dream pillows with it but also because it is prized as an essential oil and also utilized for scenting soap, shampoos etc.
Some even use it in a culinary fashion, one of my clients for example, used the buds to make honey lavender ice cream (click here for blog recipe feature).
Personally, I love to use it in a much simpler traditional manner... sprinkling the buds into my foot bath and soaking in the aroma in that fashion ! It is both soothing & envigorating :)
Lavender Product Photo: Brizel4TheAnimals
Because I quickly sell out of the lavender bud every year & also due to the loss of my oldest producing French lavender... I decided to expand the French lavenders in the Winter Spiral by replacing it and some of my older Spanish lavenders.
Spanish Lavender
Although Spanish lavenders can be a very prolific showy lavender which the bees certainly do adore... I wanted to increase my French lavender production opportunities !
I will, of course, still have some Spanish lavender here at Twilight, especially since it blooms after the rosemary does and before the French lavender blossoms, essentially providing the perfect floral bridge between the other two.
One of the goals here at Twilight is to provide an uninterrupted abundance of florals in order to attract & keep pollinators, such as bees, on the premises at all times !
So, out came a bunch of Spanish lavender...
... and in came new French Lavenders (Provence variety) ...
Lavendula Provence
Thanks to the patronage of my parents, Edward & Anne, ten French lavender plants (5 one-gallon & 5 five-gallon) were planted in the Winter Spiral early this spring !
I look forward... in years to come... leaning into large French lavender bushes on a sunny day... pruners in hand... taking in the magical aromas... to carry away beaucoup bouquets of flowers... both to enjoy & dry.
xox
Posts
Wow, that's some project! The new plants look beautiful! What do you have around it - looks like tiny stones? Yes, I think your lavender is the best - something special is added by growing in the mountains I think. xo, Lisa
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa :) Those tiny red stones are volcanic rocks from a round the corner nearby resource... they are very light & porous making them an excellent aggregate or landscaping mulch.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Lanzarote, in the Canaries, the farmers there would spread their picon (small black volcanic rocks) all over their fields and around their trees etc. Wish I could afford to do that !
So beautiful! I was also wondering about that "soil". I only have two pots of lavender which are in full green right now, making my guinea pigs very happy recipients!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's been a year since the fire! Wow! And so much has happened since then... many good and wondrous things. I love what you do at Twilight and I love your passion for it and for the environment which shows in your posts about your lovely dwelling space. Thanks for sharing and enlightening us.
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