Neither heat nor surgery can keep us down!

My dear sister, Mary, lends a hand at the farm.  Here planting Fred Boutin.

We are well on our way to having a new front field full of lavender at the farm.  Over Memorial Day in the heat and humidity you find in the summers of MD we planted 500 new lavender plants some angustifolias and some hybrids including Buena Vista, Royal Velvet, Grosso, Fat Spike Gross, Folgate, Hidcote, Sharon Roberts, and the pink culinary lavender called Mellisa. 

Fungus or winter damage?

This year has been so hard on the older plants on the farm.  The mid-Atlantic experienced such a mild winter that the lavender started into growing phase in February when it was warm and then that new growth was challenged when it returned to winter weather in late March and April.  Deep Creek Lavender was not the only farm to feel the impact.  I believe some may be infected with a fungus.  Some lavender grow up from the center and those will probably recover once the dead part is removed but the angustifolias may not fair so well....time will tell.

The weather has played havoc with bloom dates of lavender across the United States.  In the Midwest many farms are done with harvest while those in the West state they are about three weeks behind.  Nature has its own plan.  So far the Hidcotes are blooming but the Grosso won't be in bloom for several weeks.  That is OK with us as it spread things out a little for us.  I just had foot surgery so the later the harvest the better for me. 



Sexy boot that will be my appendage for six weeks.