Field of Dreams

I just got in from working in my Connecticut garden, and finished the really delightful task of harvesting my lavender. Who doesn't love this plant? Its pest-free, really pretty, smells wonderful. I am thinking we should put a whole field of lavender in at Villa Mir Farm.

I checked out other 'lavender farms' on the web and learned a few important facts: (1) you can not make money growing lavender, there is no market for the stuff, and unless you are really into crafts or willing to put in a steam distillation unit to extract the essential oil, you can forget about making money (or even breaking even!). (2) There are quite a few farms out there, nonetheless, which appear to focus on 'agritourism' and 'entertainment farming' (didn't know there was such a thing, it doesn't sound serious does it?). Check out this site for more on farming lavender and a list of websites: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/lavender.html#direct . (3) There are two kinds of lavender - L. angustifolia (sometimes called English lavender or 'true' lavender) and L x intermedia (which is the kind they grow in Provence, and less hardy than the angustifolias). They have different chemical compositions and I suppose they must smell different too! (4) Lavender has a variety of uses - as an herbal remedy, as an aromatherapy plant, bees love it and it makes nice honey, and even the flowers themselves have uses in cooking. Its best known for its relaxing, soothing properties and is often used for stress relief (N.B.!!) I even found a site where its used for its 'magical properties' - oddly enough, it appears to be useful in spells for attracting money! I need to re-think Number 1 above!!http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbLavenderMag.htm

Net, net - lavender is beautiful and it sure smells nice. I might just plant a whole big field of it at Villa Mir anyway. Just because I can! We'll call it 'Carol's Field of Dreams'.

(Lest you think the picture above is my Connecticut garden, I have to be honest! Took this shot off Flickr, and have to give a picture credit to noe0712 - really pretty shot! But not my garden...!)