used the saws-all and trimmed all those brushes in front of our snow fence (about 40),
cleaned up the outside of the shop, the flower garden and moved all the paving stones.
move all my wood that has been piling up.
and the exciting news,,, besides all the new furniture and other stuff i'v got, is:
we are going to start a Lavender Farm...
last fall we sold the sheep and goats, but we need to do something to keep our ag. status.
after talking to the county, water rights people, other farms, and other lavender growers, we decided to do it.
we are having someone plow up a couple of acres.. and we are going to start with 8-10 rows
about 60 feet, and 300 feet long. with 9 different varieties of English lavenders
who wouldn't want rolling fields of lavender to wake up to everyday?
we will be planting end of may, first of June about 800. 3" pots. they will at least double first year.
second year much larger and full grown third year, (about 3 foot tall and 3 foot wide)
so we have till then to get everything plowed , make the mounds for each of the 10 rows, and put in the ground cover and drip irrigation ....
these pictures show full grown plants in many of the varieties that we will have
we will have
ROYAL VELVET - A small to medium plant with semi-gray green foliage and dark violet calyces. A striking cultivar . Royal Velvet has longer stems and is excellent for dried floral bouquets/crafting.
HIDCOTE BLUE - A medium, short-stemmed bushy plant with dense grey-green foliage. A brilliant dark purple flowered plant for ornamental use - a wonderful, sweet oil producer.
TRUE HIDCOTE - An English cultivar supposedly traced back to Hidcote Manor. Small semi-bushy plant, with vibrant purple Corollas.
MAILETTE - A very attractive cultivar with dark violet blooms. This plant is medium sized suitable for ornamental plantings and oil purposes.
GRAVES - This cultivar of English lavender is taller than others. Very productive with nice upright stems - nice for fresh and dried flowers - the color is dark violet.
PROVENCE - Beautiful soft violet flowers with light purple highlights, a very prolific bloomer. Use for fresh-cut, wands and potpourri. Flower aroma is both powerful and sweet. This plant lacks much of the camphor overtones of other lavandins and therefore can be used as a culinary lavender. Reminiscent of the South of France where the majority of this variety is grown.
MISS KATHERINE - A semi-tall plant with gray-green foliage. Spikes are long and lilac-pink in color. Excellent for use in a border or to contrast with a darker purple plant.
HIDCOTE PINK - A medium bushy plant with grey-green foliage. One of the best pink-flowered cultivars for ornamental purposes - quite striking when planted en masse. The aroma is sweetly fragrant - to process for oil.
MELISSA - The aroma of this plant is very sweet and fragrant, fantastic for culinary use. The delicate soft-lavender pink flowers are formed on a medium plant with bushy habit.
a wonderful mix of dark to medium and light purples and beautiful shades of pinks....
besides their beauty and aroma, they also repel, deer, rabbits, mice, mosquitoes, and other critters
sorry if iv gone on too long, but I am so excited
