Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Strolling from the parking lot to the main entrance of Yarker’s newest agri-tourism venture, guests will first be greeted with the unmistakable scent of lavender.
A couple more strides onto the property and they’ll be met with a stunning view of rows of purple and white-the main attraction of Lavender Queen Lavender Farm.
Located at 3981 County Road 1 E, right next to Quinn’s Meats, the farm is the result of seven years of preparation from the husband and wife team of John and Connie Lowry.
“We’ve got a little over 400 plants here with five different varieties that grow well in Ontario,” said Connie. “Our plan is to expand the front, we’ve been landscaping the front and we had to bring in a lot of fill so that took a long time. We’ve been working on this, my husband and I, for seven years. Just him and I doing it, all the landscaping, the planting and everything. Labour of love, we enjoy it.”
Both Connie and John escaped the hectic city scene of the Mississauga area to the country to adapt a completely different lifestyle. For Connie it was a homecoming of sorts, having grown up in Amhertview.
“I visited a couple (of lavender farms) in the Guelph area and fell in love with them,” said Connie. “Then we moved here and had this piece of property, I retired from the bank as well and thought ‘what am I going to do with myself?’ and I just gravitated towards lavender. I like gardening so I thought we could try it and I like lavender products.”
She recalls growing up surrounded by the colour purple with the scent of lavender a constant in her home.
When they opened their doors to the public in June they became the first lavender farm attraction in Lennox and Addington County, offering the grounds as both an event venue and picturesque backdrop for photographers as well as selling a range of lavender infused products.
A butterfly nestles on a lavender plant. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
“We distill the essential oil from the flower bud through our copper distill,” said Connie. “It’s steam distilled so basically you need a lot of lavender to get a little wee bit of essential oil. Any little bit that I get goes in my bath and body products. My ultimate goal when I expand the front, is to first of all get a bigger copper distill so I can put more plants in and get my oil so that I can actually sell the oil. I do get an abundance of flower water, which is called hydrosol. It’s a natural toner for your skin, antiseptic; you get a bug bite you spray that on it, if you want to keep the bugs away you use that. Everything I have is chemical free, I don’t put any pesticide on the lavender.”
All her products are made to order and are packaged in a sustainable, re-usable glass mason jar.
On July 23 Liane James, principal harpist for the Ontario Philharmonic, will be on the grounds for a live performance with light refreshments. Tickets for that event, which runs 1-3 p.m., are $20 and are available through the online shop at www.lavenderqueen.ca/shop-our-lavender-inspired-collections. Other events include a wreath making workshop on July 30 and weekly Wednesday afternoon teas, from 1-4 p.m.
They’ve also partnered with a local beekeeper that cares for two hives on site with the bees serving as pollinators for the plants. The hope is that come fall they’ll be able to offer lavender honey for customers.
Doing the work themselves has made the process more gradual, but it has also allowed them to keep to their vision. It hasn’t been easy and they’ve had their share of trial and error along the way.
“Some people say it can’t be done, well I don’t like to hear that as an engineer,” said John. “So I do it. It’s been an adventure.”
The farm offers five different varieties of lavender. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
It’s also given him a newfound admiration for the agricultural industry.
“I have a greater appreciation and respect for what actual farmers do,” said John. “We’re small scale but its still hard work. My hats off to the people that grow the food that feed us.”
When lavender season wraps up the grounds will still be worth a visit to see a pair of fall gardens on site.
Daily hours of business are from 10-4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday until Aug. 1. A General Admission Field Pass or Season Pass is required and can be purchased at lavenderqueen.ca. Starting in August the hours will shift from Wednesday to Sunday noon to 4 p.m. until Oct. 11.