Lovely Lavender

I travel nearly every year to the Okanagan Valley to visit with family living in Penticton, British Columbia. If you haven't been, or if you haven't been since you were a kid you've really got to go. In the last 15 years the whole look and feel of the valley has been transformed. Where apples, cherries and peaches used to dominate the landscape, wineries abound. The feel of the valley is morphing from down home to upscale as people try new cultivars of grapes suitable for making quality wines.

It is not just the big players who are experimenting though, hobby farms are also getting in on Nappa North and trying their hand at growing crops which are newer to the area. One such crop is lavender. While traveling, Ok wine tasting, our way through the Naramata area recently I stopped to visit a local grower of the aromatic herb, Forest Green Man Lavender.

The place is beautiful. A field of purple, the sound of thousands of busy bees, and a smell that is just heavenly. Forgetting for a moment that you are in Canada, you can be temporarily transported to the fields of Provence. I was given a wonderful lesson in the cultivation of lavender by one of the owners, Doug Mathias, and allowed to wander the field to soak up the smell, check out the little gift shop, and bask in the wonderful atmosphere.

Lavender has been used for centuries to promote relaxation and healing. It can be used for mild space clearing and to engage the sense of smell in our interior spaces. It is particularly wonderful sprayed on a pillow a little bit before going to bed to help with insomnia.

In an upcoming newsletter I will expand on lavender's uses in the interior landscape. For now though, I will think of Forest Green Man and be transported.