Lavender Hollow Farm

Last weekend we took a day trip to lovely Lavender Hollow Farm in Escalon, CA, where about 45 varieties of lavender are grown and used to make hand crafted products. The exquisite fields of lavender plants greet guests with many shades of purple and a distinct herbal scent that fills the air.

Owned by Bill and Alice Taylor, the farm has been in business since 2005 although the family has lived on site since 1979. All of the gorgeous gardens were created by the Taylors. The farm is open to the public every year on weekends during the lavender harvest. Lavender lemonade and lavender sugar cookies are sold there and craft classes featuring lavender-themed projects are held in the mornings. Specific dates and more information about events can be found on the official website.

Different varieties of lavender are labelled throughout the property and vary slightly in color, providing a range of hues from dusty purple to bright violet. Some of the plants had already been cut back and others were still in full bloom buzzing with thousands of busy bees when we arrived. A few guests were cutting lavender bouquets and others were walking the pretty pathways taking photos and drinking lavender lemonade.

In addition to the fields of lavender the farm has a quaint cottage garden and an elegant rose garden near the family home. Butterflies abound in these beautiful spaces enjoying the many colorful flowers interspersed with lavender plants.

There is also a gift store at the farm where hand crafted lavender products like lotions, soaps, and sachets are sold. A vintage bathtub filled with dried lavender occupies one corner of the shop inviting guests to make their own sachets. The kind gentleman at the register allowed me to take a photo of this dazzling display of hanging lavender framing the shelves of merchandise and infusing the room with fragrance. Beautiful...

There were so many lovely places to photograph at Lavender Hollow Farm. I particularly liked this planted olive tree surrounded by lavender of all kinds. It looks like a miniature French garden, similar to Provence, but here in California.

The image below captures the rich Provencal color found throughout the farm. The combination of lavender-blue, yellow and white in these flowers is most striking. I will be creating a special series of lavender-inspired prints and note cards from these images for holiday gifts!

For more information about Lavender Hollow Farm, or to order hand crafted lavender products online please visit the official website at: http://www.lavenderhollowfarm.com/

For more images of Lavender Hollow Farm, please visit my new Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gilded-Bloom/287055737996154

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