Sequim Lavender Festival
Walking along the coast in Victoria, I’m entranced by the snow-covered Olympic Mountains that lie just across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the pinpricks of light that dot the horizon when night falls. Just 22 miles away lies Washington State, and it’s time I visited this foreign land. The Sequim Lavender Festival appears to be the perfect opportunity.
My sister-in-law, Shelley, and I catch the early morning car ferry across to Port Angeles and then board a bus to visit four farms and the Carrie Blake Park Street Fair on the Sequim peninsula. It’s all part of the Sequim Lavender Festival day trip sponsored by the Black Ball Ferry Line.
Known as Sunny Sequim, the area is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and has hot, dry summers with very little rain. It’s a climate well suited to growing lavender. In fact, the fastest way to kill a lavender plant is to give it too much water. The owner of B&B Lavender Farm explained that once their plants have had a chance to get settled, they are never watered.
B&B Lavender Farm is one of the biggest lavender farms in the area with over 14,000 plants. I was particularly taken by the rows and rows of lavender bushes in alternating colours of blue and light pink/white (lavandula angustifolia melissa).
Victor Gonzales (Victor’s Lavender) planted his first lavender in 1997 and was instrumental in promoting Sequim as the lavender capital of North America. French lavender is highly scented and ideal for perfumes, while English lavender contains less camphor and is better suited to culinary purposes.
The variety of food options at the Carrie Blake Park Street Fair were a welcome sight after an early start to the day and a busy morning. After lunch, we set out to explore over 150 stands with high-quality crafts. I’m still wishing I could have purchased one of the lovely air plants, but you can’t transport live plants across the border.
Our first afternoon visit was to Jardin du Soleil Lavender. It was the perfect place to relax and eat an ice cream while wandering the green lawns, visiting the goats, and admiring the chickens and roosters. Each of the farms have shops and there were usually a variety of craft and food stands as well.
By the end of the day, we were hot and tired and made a beeline for a couple of chairs and fresh cider at Olympic Bluffs Cidery & Lavender Farm.
The tour was well organized and although there were 3 busloads of people, we all spread out once we arrived at our various destinations so I never felt constrained by being in a big group. It was a 14-hour day but well worth it to experience the sights, sounds, and above all the scents of the Sequim Peninsula
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