And The Winner Is...

Lavender fields forever!

Summer is here.  The weather, in recent weeks,  has come along both slowly and steadily and with it, so has the lavender, being three to four weeks later than usual--if there is anything, when it comes to our weather nowadays, that can be labeled as usual. However, now the lavender is looking lushly lavender in an array of light and dark hues, partly because rain has spurred everything and anything into a sudden growth spurt. Out of over 60 different varieties growing here at Blooming Hill, a good third of them are currently in profuse bloom mode--woohoo!! 

Dusk settling in while the humidity rises over some of the field.

Traditionally, the earliest of the lavenders would have been blooming for over a month now, beginning sometime around Mother's Day. But, no such gift was part of my mid-May.  In fact, most of the lavenders were not even very green on Mother's Day! I was disappointed but I love my lavenders anyway and waited patiently, promising visitors and friends that we would reap the rewards in June and I was not exaggerating.

Lavandula angustifolia 'Pastor's Pride'

Lavandula angustifolia 'French Fields'

The very first lavender to make her presence known about 2 weeks ago was L. angustifolia 'French Fields' and not far behind her was another dark purple L. angustifolia called 'Pastor's Pride. In other years (again, I refrain from saying "normal") The very first lavender to bloom is a petite and very pretty little one called L. angustifolia 'Thumbelina Leigh' followed closely behind by another angustifolia called 'Croxton's Wild.' Yet this was not to be this year so, 'French Fields' has crowned herself the winner in the category of first to bloom.

Tucker provides a nice backdrop to 'French Fields'.

'French Fields' closely resembles lavender that appears to grow wild in the Mediterranean, hence her name and when someone asks me what is a variety of lavender that is a long bloomer, this one always comes to mind as it seems to grow almost continuously throughout the season, even after the first flush has been harvested.  This variety grows 24-30 inches in my own field and when it opens it's flowers as peak comes on, she takes on a two-toned appearance.  'French Fields' foliage color is a true green which makes her flowers appear even more opalescent making it one of my favorites for the last three years in a row.  So, if I can't be wandering the fields, hills and valleys of Provence, at least I can imagine myself picking a little piece of it right here in my own backyard, in my own "French field."