Lavender fields forever...or at least one for the last 12 years….
I fell in love with my dad’s land in Tennessee back in 2009. After spending many afternoons roaming through its woods and along its creek banks, I realized there was something spiritually soothing about the hours off the grid with time and nature to myself. I was feeling hippie, and I decided to use one of the spaces on a gently sloping hillside to grow lavender. It didn’t seem like a very smart decision at the time, seeing how lavender is in no way native to southern Tennessee, but I thought I would take a chance. I read that the deer and rabbits don’t like it, and it doesn’t require a lot of fussing. Which is a good thing, because by day I'm a city girl.
I ordered some Provence from a nice man in California named Victor and planted a row. That row took me hours. For each plant, I had to dig a hole a foot deep, mix the clay back in with sand, rocks, limestone, and bone meal, and then build up a mound with the same mixture. Then I planted my baby plants on top of the mounds. They grew. And lived. I was shocked.
Nine years later I have planted 96 plants of six different kinds: Provence, Grosso, Royal Velvet, Super, Tucker’s Early, and Hidcote Giant. I use a weed eater and my hands to weed each row. No chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. No fertilizer at all, actually. The water comes from the creek or the rain bucket, although I prefer the rain. It’s easier.
The happiest times are in early and mid summer when I harvest the blooms. It all pays off as I walk up and down the rows of purple flowers with a pair of scissors and a big basket. These plants put out some major blooms and fill up several five-gallon buckets.
I learned to use my plants to make my soaps and lotion through a lot of trial and error. I use the flowers, leaves and stems to infuse in different oils and dry some to grind up and use as natural exfoliants. I’m constantly tweaking and open to constructive criticism. I have to love what I make in order to feel right about selling it. I use my Happy Cheeks, Face Drink, and Body Butterful every single day, most days twice. Do they create miracles? I don’t know (probably). I just like knowing that everything in them is completely natural and nurturing to skin, with no hidden synthetic materials. I know exactly what goes in, because I’m the one measuring and pouring. Most of my materials are organic, and none have preservatives. This took some getting used to. Growing up loving the fake chemical fragrances and synthetic emulsifiers from my former lotions and soaps, I had to learn that natural fragrances are more earthy and subtle, and that their lack of preservatives lend to immediate use. They don't have shelf lives that last for years, and if you're putting them on your skin, why would you want them to?
I inventory all my ingredients and document my batches. I bottle everything myself and make the labels out of recycled packing paper from craft stores where I buy my jars. The whole process is beautiful and makes me a happy person. I am truly passionate about my budding business and I hope you love these products as much as I do.
I ordered some Provence from a nice man in California named Victor and planted a row. That row took me hours. For each plant, I had to dig a hole a foot deep, mix the clay back in with sand, rocks, limestone, and bone meal, and then build up a mound with the same mixture. Then I planted my baby plants on top of the mounds. They grew. And lived. I was shocked.
Nine years later I have planted 96 plants of six different kinds: Provence, Grosso, Royal Velvet, Super, Tucker’s Early, and Hidcote Giant. I use a weed eater and my hands to weed each row. No chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. No fertilizer at all, actually. The water comes from the creek or the rain bucket, although I prefer the rain. It’s easier.
The happiest times are in early and mid summer when I harvest the blooms. It all pays off as I walk up and down the rows of purple flowers with a pair of scissors and a big basket. These plants put out some major blooms and fill up several five-gallon buckets.
I learned to use my plants to make my soaps and lotion through a lot of trial and error. I use the flowers, leaves and stems to infuse in different oils and dry some to grind up and use as natural exfoliants. I’m constantly tweaking and open to constructive criticism. I have to love what I make in order to feel right about selling it. I use my Happy Cheeks, Face Drink, and Body Butterful every single day, most days twice. Do they create miracles? I don’t know (probably). I just like knowing that everything in them is completely natural and nurturing to skin, with no hidden synthetic materials. I know exactly what goes in, because I’m the one measuring and pouring. Most of my materials are organic, and none have preservatives. This took some getting used to. Growing up loving the fake chemical fragrances and synthetic emulsifiers from my former lotions and soaps, I had to learn that natural fragrances are more earthy and subtle, and that their lack of preservatives lend to immediate use. They don't have shelf lives that last for years, and if you're putting them on your skin, why would you want them to?
I inventory all my ingredients and document my batches. I bottle everything myself and make the labels out of recycled packing paper from craft stores where I buy my jars. The whole process is beautiful and makes me a happy person. I am truly passionate about my budding business and I hope you love these products as much as I do.