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Slow down and smell the lavender

By Mikael L. Kenoyer

Picture tea in the garden. It’s early on a July afternoon, and the sun splashes its rays indiscriminately through the flowers. Still, it isn’t hot; a cooling breeze creeps across the garden from the shimmering sea below. The air dances with fragrance, the eye is filled with deep hues, the tastebuds come alive with flavor that blossoms on the tongue in symphony with the surrounding day. This is what Carol Fowler calls a “full immersion into lavender.”

As the owner of Lavender Fields, nearly an acre planted with lavender at her Point Roberts home, Fowler has made this scene a reality for four years, and time for the fifth is rapidly approaching. Lavender Field’s open house, the only time Fowler opens her fields to the public all year, will be held July 12 and 13. Upwards of 500 people are expected to visit the seaside garden.

Those who cannot attend to browse the varieties of fresh and dried blossoms, as well as the homemade sachets and other lavender products, can find Fowler’s lavender across the lower mainland from June to August. Only those who visit the fields, though, will be treated to tea and cookies, made, of course, of lavender.

Visitors are invited from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at a cost of $2.50 American, $4 Canadian. For more information on Lavender Fields, visit www.lavenderfields.com. The site lists names of florists who carry Fowler’s lavenders, showcases her lavender products, displays gorgeous photos of the lavenders themselves, and even has recipes for everything from lavender tea and lemonade to lavender ice cream. .

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