My Lavender Farm Dreams.

If I didn't have my dream job right now, I'd create a Lavender Farm. My favorite plant and not easy to grow but I seem to have a knack for it. We have the space to grow lots. I just don't have the time that would be needed to make it an actual enterprise. Maybe once we're retired. For now, I experiment and cultivate, and dream one day of rows and rows of purple blossoms. Dreaming is free and fun!

Today is another blue sky, sunny, warm day. Yesterday was a busy one. Kids grief class in the morning, then working in the garden, helping our neighbor when he came down to move dirt from one area to where we'll be building our shed, conversations about more dirt to order, then up to the studio for a 3 hour event live on our radio station that raised $300, making us all happy for the charity that was our monthly recipient for May. We bbq'd, then headed over to our neighbors down the lane for drinks and s'mores by the fire. It was a beautiful night and the conversations fun. Very relaxing and for a bit, I totally forgot we're still in a pandemic. Walk back home to our cozy cottage and then we watched the "Friends Reunion" and laughed the night away. A great day that was also productive. The best kind of day.

Today, I have my workout planned, a nice shower, breakfast then I'm off to the Big City for an event from noon until 3ish. Home for a board meeting online, then dinner and a relaxing evening. I am sharing a story during the event and have my notes ready to go but our printer has decided it's not going to cooperate today. I may just bring my laptop with me and read from the screen instead of paper. Hoping we don't have to buy a new printer but learning they don't seem to last long anymore. At least they aren't expensive.

I'm off to get sweaty! Wishing you all a warm,

beautiful Sunday. Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

A Long Week.

This last week has been super long and tiring. But so rewarding at the same time. I'll likely write a few short posts to share the many different pieces. For today, my lavender win! We were at Costco late in the day to visit the garden centre for the first time this year, thinking it wouldn't be too crowded. With the new restrictions in place, space in retail stores is limited again. It was a big surprising to pull up and see a lot of cars but the lot wasn't packed like on a weekend, which we always avoid. As we walked up to the store, we realized there was no lineup as we anticipated. Score! So we grabbed a cart with the idea that we could stroll through, looking at plants and choosing a few favorites, like my lavender pots for the front veranda. And then we thought we'd stock up on some food items since we were there already. As we walked through, it seemed quiet. 

Until we got to the entrance to the garden centre. And then we spotted why the aisles were quiet but there were many cars .... the lineup to get in to the area was packed and the line snaked around the corner almost to the front of the store. Yikes! I had such high hopes of getting my pots today. No worries, we'll come back another day. But I thought that it couldn't hurt to ask if they have any so we know if coming back is a good plan. I went to the front (no husband, no cart, just little me) and found the sweetest employee who was letting customers in as others came out. She greeted me with a sweet smile so it felt okay to ask if there was lavender and if there are times that are better to come back to shop. She chatted with me for a moment, reassured me there was a good stock of my pots and I thanked her and turned to walk away. A few steps in and I heard her say "is it only lavender you need?" As we've potted 138 different flowers (perennials and annuals) and have many more seeds to plant in the ground, truly, yes, it was only my 2 pots I was hoping for. I walked back and said yes, and she said "hang on!" She disappeared for a second and then came back and turned to the people in the line up and said "this lovely lady only needs to pots of lavender. I've asked a staff member to go grab 2. Is everyone okay with this?" I cringed for a second as I hadn't asked for this gesture of kindness but the line up all answered with "yes of course." Wow! And then the other employee came around the corner with these 2 pots above. Better than I've ever seen and she was even proud she had chosen the "2 best" ones she could find. I was almost teary with the kindness of the staff and then the crowd. As they placed them in front of me, I turned to those in the line up and thanked everyone, and I was met with smiles and nods. I was so thankful and the staff told me they were more than happy to help out. With smiles all around, I picked up my precious pots and walked away thinking "in all this crap right now, a moment of kindness that made my heart swell." I found my dh a few aisles away and he was surprised to see me walking towards him with 2 pots of sweet lavender and the biggest grin on my face. 

Aren't they the most beautiful pots of lavender? It's English and will look amazing on the front veranda. I have Munstead growing in pots and at least 4 of another kind starting to come to live out in the front garden. My dream one day is a tiny lavender "farm" and we're on a way to making that happen in time. I love the end of the season when these will all be big and ready to harvest. Drying the buds and hanging little bunches of lavender around the house makes the time going in to caring for them worth all the fuss and bother. 

Do you have a favorite plant you love to grow each year?

Are your garden centres or nurseries super busy again?

Namaste my blogging buddies.

Enjoy this beautiful Friday.

~ Chy

Lovely Lavender.

I'm so excited our Munstead Lavender bloomed this Summer.

After being told our climate was too cold, we have done it!

This is just the first of many bunches I'll be harvesting this

week. I'll use them in my soaps, my scrubs and in the bath

salts I like to create in the studio for friends and family. It

smells amazing once I get to put everything together. Today, 

I feel like a true gardener ~ my philosophy is you're not a

true gardener until someone says you can't ~ and you do!

Have you grown something unique in your garden or zone?

What is your dream plant to try and grow that's a tough one?

~ Chy

Pretty Lavender.

I have big dreams of having a tiny

lavender farm one day. Love the scent.

My Munstead Lavender has sprouted

from last year in the front garden. I've

also got seedlings growing out on the

back deck. And we picked up these 2

sweet pots at Costco a few weeks ago.

They will go in the garden soon but our

nights have been a bit cool, so I bring

them in to stay warm when it's frosty

outside. Tonight I've actually left both

outside on the front veranda. They will

be okay now that it's warmer this week.

Love the look and the fragrance ....

~ Chy

Lavender Basket.

I've been experimenting with sweet

smelling lavender in my garden for a

few years and hope to add more this

year. My dream is to have field of it.

But for now, pots, baskets and rows in

my raised garden beds will have to do.

~ Chy

Still Blooming.

 

I have no idea what the mystery plant is in the first picture of some of the flowers and plants that are still blooming in the garden that surrounds our island cottage. Hoping to identify it but if you know, feel free to share. I'm so happy to have Lavender all around me this week. The fragrance is amazing! My Lavender at home grew well but did not bloom any buds this year. Hoping for next year. I have some mulching and covering to do once we're home. I did get my bulbs in but if it's still okay once we're home, I might see if I can get a few more in to the ground. Once I snow arrives and sticks around, it will help to dream of a sweet garden to get through the long Winter. Anything will help ....

~ Chy

Lavender Bag.

I love lavender of all kinds. And dh is

always on the lookout for lavender gifts.

He recently found this sweet bag that

comes with soil, peat and seeds to grow.

Instructions were easy. Open the soil

bag, dump in to the plant bag and seed.

A little water, some sunlight and now we

wait to see if lavender can grow in a bag!

~ Chy

My Dream.

If I could stop everything else I'm doing now, in

this amazing life, I would move to our little island

and create the most beautiful Lavender Farm. To

garden all day and produce fragrant buds and blooms.

Inspiration.

My inspiration for Spring. I have

my Lavender seeds tucked away in

the fridge, waiting for seeding day.

And our bird bath is in the garage.

Now we just need the temperature

to rise, the snow to melt and the

ground to thaw. I did a quick count

and Spring is due in just 38 days ....

Heavenly Lavender.

Since I was a young child, the smell of lavender has been a calming influence. I love the scent, the color, the feel and the look of this beautiful plant. A few years ago, we visited the Sacred Mountain Lavender Farm out on our favorite island on the West Coast. I asked if there is a chance that lavender will grow in our region but sadly was told "no, it's far too cold there." I'm not one to accept "no" as an answer to any query I have. So when we came home, I visited our local greenhouse and was told that "it wasn't really worth investing in a plant that likely won't survive our climate."

If you've read my blog for a bit, you know I LOVE a challenge! Told I can't to something, I find a way around it.

So guess what I've successfully grown in our garden at our old house for 4 years now? Yup, lavender! And guess what I just bought to plant here at the little house in the big woods? Yup, lavender! Still in pots this morning as I have to figure out the best spot to start these babies. Vibrant and full of sweet scent. The bees love them already. Hopefully the deer stay away. All the literature I've read suggests they are put off by the smell so we'll see what happens. Wish me luck ....

Lavender Ecocube.

I received this sweet gift at Christmas from a

colleague who knows how much I love lavender.

A complete kit to start seeds and add to our

garden in the Summer. Hope this works!

Easy instructions .... take off the wrap,

add some water and then cover with plastic.

Now we wait to see if little buds will begin

to sprout sweet lavender for all to enjoy.

Gifts of Lavender.

 I had a couple of special families to

thank at our Annual Candlelight Service.

So I made these tiny bottles of organically

grown, in our garden, lavender bath salts.

For those who are grieving at this time

of year, a lovely way to relax and reflect.

August Break '15: Smooth.

For the prompt "Smooth", I chose this shot

of a drink I ordered the other day. I've had

a bit of a summer cold and my throat was

really sore. But this Lavender drink helped.

It was the only thing that was smooth enough

for me to swallow. Tasting and healing.

Lavender!

My favorite flower is Lavender. I was told years ago that we couldn't grow it in our region but a couple of years ago tried & it worked. Now I have my own little Lavender Patch & harvest the buds each year. 

Lavender is abundant here, growing in the garden, down the road, along the beach path, at the sea. 

I love the deep colors & the fragrant scent. Brings back beautiful childhood memories of my grandmother's soap & her perfume.

This one we have at home,

in the big pots in front of the garage.

Beautiful bushy Lavender!

A Favorite Thing!

 Joining in with Claudia's

"A Favorite Thing" 

over at her blog

Mockingbird Hill Cottage. 

We found this beaded and jewelled

lavender heart at the 

Antique Mall a few months ago.

It was beautiful site on a cold,

wintery day. A splash of

color when the season is

often so white.

Our bedroom has slowly 

begun to change from just

sage and white, to

sage, white and lavender. 

I love when colors come together!

What is your favorite thing this week?