River Oak Lavender

We start harvesting our Fresh Lavender next week. It is very exciting here on the farm and a very busy time. I so enjoy all the orders for weddings and working with the new brides. The fresh lavender season only last about 30 days, so if you would like beautiful, long stem, very fragrant lavender now is the time to order. All orders are on a first come, first served basis! I also make lotions, soap, body butter, and sachets all year long and these products are great gift ideas. My web site is very easy to navigate, so don’t be shy, give it a try.

As I sit at my computer it is 60 degrees and gusting wind at 40 miles an hour. I can’t wait for warmer weather and no wind. With the latest rains, the weeds are thick and I can’t wait to get out to my lavender field and start taking care of them. All of the lavender bushes that looked dead all winter are starting to turn green again. Everyday I look to see if any stems are starting to rise from the bushes. I will be expanding this year with 25 new grosso plants and 50 lodden blu. Brides have been requesting information for there weddings since January and I look forward to being a part of their special day. The Grosso continues to be one of the most popular varieties sold from my farm. Their fragrance is the best and their long stems make them easy to incorporate them into wedding bouquets and centerpieces. Our fresh flower season will start June 1st, so if you love lavender, check out my web site at riveroaklavender.com

We just hosted the 5th annual Pumpkin Pot Luck & Hayride out at our farm for our grandchildren and their friends.  What a hoot!  Seeing all the kids in their costumes  is a real treat for us, as we do not get Trick-Or-Treaters out where we live on Halloween Night.  Most of the parents also came dressed in costumes and they really enjoy the evening each year.  I did something a little different this year.  Not only did the kids get to pick out a pumpkin, but I had also planted about 50 sunflower plants so that the Moms could pick a bouquet of flowers to take home too.  Once again the grand kids were amazed that the Pumpkin Fairy had  carved their names on certain special pumpkins that had grown and stretched as the pumpkins grew.  As Olivia said “It’s amazing!” Landen and grandpa drive the blue tractor that pulls the hayride and he is quite proud of himself as he needs no help steering the tractor, he is only three years old.  It is his favorite thing to do when he comes out to the farm.  As for the lavender, it’s that time of the year when all plants get trimmed back for winter so that they will be ready to grow and bloom when spring time comes again.  It will probably take a good month to get all the trimming done, and then we can rest a bit before spring.  Happy Halloween!!

We’re very busy this time of year, getting ready for all the new harvesting on our farm.  The oats are just about ready and so is the first cutting of alfalfa.  I’ve been anxiously watching my lavender plants and hoping I will be able to start cutting and making bundles for Mid May.  Thankfully the weather is finally turning warm here.  I have one crazy plant that has already sent out the stems with the new buds on it.  It is a very happy plant and I need about 25 more just like it.   Looks like I will be taking some cuttings from it and hopefully making new plants from the parent plant.  I was asked to be a vendor at a “Cowgirl Luncheon” last week.  What a kick!!  These women of the west were served by cowboys starting at 10:30 a.m. with champagne, and then lunch with more champagne, and then more champagne.  You couldn’t ask for a better selling opportunity.  Five hundred women and all drinking champagne!!  I’m definetly going back next year.

Well, Christmas arrived on time as usual and we just made it by the skin of our teeth.  The school district I work for stayed in session until the 22nd of Dec. which didn’t leave much time for last minute shopping, gift wrapping, and baking, but we the help of my husband and my youngest son we made it.  At least now I can really enjoy the break since school doesn’t start until Jan 9th.  The lavender plants are sleeping through the winter, so there isn’t too much to do at this point and time.  I’m planning on increasing the number of culinary plants in my garden by 25 to 50 more plants.  I don’t like planting them in the spring because I then have to watch them very carefully throughout the first summer, but that’s what I will have to do this time around.  I have found that planting new lavender plants in the fall works out much better.  By the time summer comes they are more established and able to stand the summer heat better.  But, this year I spent fall and winter developing my line of bath and body lotions to market and to start showcasing and these products are selling quite well.  Check out my web site because I now also offer gift baskets for special occasions.  Have a Happy New Year everybody!!

We have all been very busy this last harvest season.  While cutting, and shipping fresh lavender bundles I spent the entire summer developing lavender/lime body lotion, bath salts, and body butter.  I hope to have them on my web site very soon.  Developing the receipes for these products was the easy part.  The package, labeling, and shipping decisions kept me awake most nights.  It has been a lot of work, but very rewarding to see the final products.  I will also be offering gift baskets for all occasions.  Talk about “one stop shopping”!!

We are also once again getting ready for our grandkids pumpkin party.  It has become an annual event.  It is so much fun watching them look for the pumpkins that magically have their names on them.  Halloween is one of our favorite times of the year.

A new season of wonderful fresh lavender is almost here. My plants are all green and growing and one happy plant is sending up early stems and trying to bloom. It’s lavender will be ready for Mother’s Day. The other plants will wait a little longer, with the help of some more sunshine. and then start sending up their stems and blossoms. Brides have already been in contact about bundles of lavender for their weddings and I am pleased to be a part of their special day. I start taking orders today, May 1st for the upcoming season, so if you love lavender be sure and get your name on my waiting list. Just go to my web site and place your order and they will be shipped to you just as soon as the bundles are ready. With spring here and summer just around the corner, we here on the farm look forward to many family gatherings and events under our majestic, 200 year old oak tree.

With Spring just around the corner, fresh lavender bundles are not far behind. We are certainly looking forward to some warmer weather here on the farm. I’m ordering my vegtables and pumpkins for our garder area and can’t wait to get them planted. We are getting ready to take down the dried lavender and turn it into sachets. It’s not a hard process but it is time consuming. I’m making plans to add lotions and oils to my list of products this year. I am also looking into becoming a vendor at our local farmers market. We will start taking orders May 1st, so mark it on your calendar.

Now is a great time to order lavender buds for the holidays. It’s very easy to make sachets for stocking stuffers. Dried bundles of lavender will also give off a great aroma placed in a vase and put in any room in your house. Grosso is my favorite. To go along with my lavender flowers, I’m going to plant wildflowers in the field next to them this winter. I will be looking forward to spring when my lavender is blooming and I will now have a meadow full of wildflowers.