LAVENDER grown in Wales?……never!..... It's too cold, we have a lot of rain, our soil is too acid, we don't have the right climate and isn't it a bit old fashioned!
Well, I was wrong?
Lavender does grow in Wales. Admittedly there are some varieties of Lavender that would not survive our Welsh climate, however there are hardy varieties that do and following a serious amount of research we settled on four varieties that we felt confident about.
Personally I have always loved Lavender and its infinite uses and most of all its delicious perfume inducing evocative memories of my grandmother who always put lavender bags amongst her linen and undergarments.
I was so inspired by a friend and her beautiful field of lavender, sitting with her and her husband on a warm summer's evening sipping a glass of cool white wine looking over their field of stunning purple rows and a scent in the air that was intoxicating, listening to her lavender story and knowing the field I had (that was once grazed my late Arab mare "KayBeeJay") ticked all the boxes for the right growing conditions for lavender.
It all made sense then, this is what I will do with the field, "Bee Jay" was a hard act to follow. I knew in my heart of hearts that my riding days were over and what better epitaph than to grow lavender where she once grazed.
So after a lot of research, talking to lavender experts, doing our sums and an endless amount of encouragement and advice, we planted over 1000 plants in September of 2009 and 2,600 plugs in April 2010. Wye Lavender of Rhayader was born.
Well, I was wrong?
Lavender does grow in Wales. Admittedly there are some varieties of Lavender that would not survive our Welsh climate, however there are hardy varieties that do and following a serious amount of research we settled on four varieties that we felt confident about.
Personally I have always loved Lavender and its infinite uses and most of all its delicious perfume inducing evocative memories of my grandmother who always put lavender bags amongst her linen and undergarments.
I was so inspired by a friend and her beautiful field of lavender, sitting with her and her husband on a warm summer's evening sipping a glass of cool white wine looking over their field of stunning purple rows and a scent in the air that was intoxicating, listening to her lavender story and knowing the field I had (that was once grazed my late Arab mare "KayBeeJay") ticked all the boxes for the right growing conditions for lavender.
It all made sense then, this is what I will do with the field, "Bee Jay" was a hard act to follow. I knew in my heart of hearts that my riding days were over and what better epitaph than to grow lavender where she once grazed.
So after a lot of research, talking to lavender experts, doing our sums and an endless amount of encouragement and advice, we planted over 1000 plants in September of 2009 and 2,600 plugs in April 2010. Wye Lavender of Rhayader was born.