By Tom and Madeline Wajda
Willow Pond Farm Herbs & Everlastings

We travelled to France several years ago (in late June and early July) to see the famous lavender fields of Provence. What a sensory feast! Acres and acres of lavender in bloom! As we came over one hill we saw about 500 acres of lavender in bloom in front of us. After catching her breath, Madeline said, “Imagine Kansas in purple!” There was lavender as far as the eye could see.

We staged our tour from Apt, a city of 50,000 an hour-and-a-half east of Avignon. Peter Mayle, author of A Year In Provence, recommends the Saturday morning market in Apt as one of the best in the region. We spent several hours at the market and heartily agree with him.

There are six blocks of familiar and unknown cheeses, sausages, and breads, fresh cut flowers, superb fruits and vegetables, dozens of kinds of olives, fabric stalls, and antiques. We even found a six-inch-long sickle designed for cutting lavender; it works like a charm! From Apt, it is less than an hour’s drive to the Musée de la Lavande in Coustelet, the Jardin des Lavandes in Sault, and the thousands of acres of lavender between Sault and Ferrassières.

Most of the lavender grown in France is distilled into oils; not surprisingly, the Musée de la Lavande is focused on oil distillation and the stills used in the process. In addition, the museum features an excellent slide show (in English) on the history of lavender culture in France.

At the Jardin des Lavandes in Sault, Catherine Couttolenc gives a wonderful lively presentation on lavender in English. Her garden, with some 15 or 20 species of lavender, included a dozen L. angustifolia and L. x. intermedia varieties we had not
seen before. We were able to bring three of these (Rêve de Jean-Claude, Lumière des Alpes, and Bleu de Collines) back with us and expect to have limited supplies of them for sale next year.

Mme. Couttolenc was the only person we met who was actively selling lavender plants. Generally, French lavender growers jealously guard their favorite varieties. Our efforts to buy a few pots of the superbly colored “Super Blue” got absolutely nowhere; reactions to our requests varied from “Impossible!” to a stony silence.

From late June through early August, the road from Sault to Ferrassières is one breathtaking view after another; even the most jaded tourist has to be impressed. Take the opportunity to stop along the road and walk through the thyme, oregano, bedstraw, and savory that grow wild there.

For more information about lavender farms, museums, and festivals in France visit www.routes-lavande.com or contact us at info@palavenderfestival.com.