Something Exciting Is Coming: Lavender Season!
It’s the early June and the lavender is blooming! I realize this as I spy a café sign of flavored syrups—seasonal flavor: lavender! Over the next few months, lavender will be blooming, as different varieties bloom over different periods. Mid-June to mid-July seems to cover most of the peak bloom times here in North America, but of course every year is slightly different. But this year’s weather seems to be quite favorable and I imagine that the lavender is happily responding—as most of us do to nice sunlight. So if you’re itching to enjoy the season, here are some ideas to help you make the most of it:
Visit a Lavender Farm
For lavender lovers, the main treat for the season is to visit a lavender farm. (What is this? See this post.) Imagine being surrounded by fragrant lavender fields on a warm sunny day…it’s enchanting. The best part is that you can find a lavender farm in many parts of the United States…or more locally in your area, depending on your region. You don’t need to travel to Provence!
Here in NYC, you don’t even need to leave the city—there’s a lavender field on Governor’s Island, just a short ferry ride from lower Manhattan or Brooklyn. Run by Earth Matter, the field even hosts an annual lavender festival where you can pick your own lavender, make wreaths, etc. For 2023, that will be this coming weekend, June 10-11!
Enjoy Lavender Treats
As reminded by the café, lavender is typically a seasonal flavor for the summer. It even seems to be gaining popularity and appearing in more shops! Try a lavender latte, a lavender matcha latte (I typically like this iced), lavender hot chocolate, or a cold lavender lemonade. Treats often include a blueberry/lavender or lemon/lavender combination—or sometimes something else! Lavender chocolate is also a winning combination!
Grow Your Garden
Obviously if lavender is growing on the the farm, then it can also grow in your personal garden or home! You optimally need full sun, so if your home isn’t as sunny then you might not have much luck. Unfortunately my apartment doesn’t get much sun past the morning hours, so my potted lavender plants tend to die—granted, I should pay more attention to other factors like soil too.
You can start your lavender plants from seed or get a plant from a lavender farm. If you are keeping the plant in a pot, be sure to plant the lavender plants a larger pot…and ensure the pot drains well with slightly sandy soil. Over-watering is generally bad for lavender!
Relax Outside
The most obvious thing is to simply go outside and enjoy the weather. One of my favorite things to do is to grab a coffee or lemonade and find a spot in a city park to relax. Bring a book or a friend (or your child…mom life) and talk, play games, read, or people watch.
Better yet, find a lavender field and enjoy its beauty—in flowers and scent! Bring a book and some water: some farms put chairs out near the fields. Just get there early so you can win a chair!
