…to the Kitsap Peninsula.

The Friday before my company arrived I headed out early all by myself to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington. Sequim is pronounced Skwim, one syllable. I crossed the Sound on a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula. It took me an hour to drive to Sequim from the ferry landing. I crossed another body of water, the Hood Canal, to the Olympic Peninsula and finally arrived in Sequim which sits along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Dungeness Spit is close by which boasts home to the very popular Dungeness Crab. This part of the Olympic Peninsula has perfect weather to grow lavender and every year the third weekend of July is set aside for the Lavender Festival.

The first farm I stopped at was Jardin du Soleil. I arrived here before the official opening but was still welcomed to stroll about the farm.

“ladies fair, I bring to you
lavender with spikes of blue;
sweeter plant was never found
growing on our english ground.”

Caryl Battersby

The second farm I stopped at was Purple Haze Lavender Farm. This one was my favorite.

“lavender, sweet lavender;
come and buy my lavender,
hide it in your trousseau, lady fair.
Let its lovely fragrance flow
Over you from head to toe,
lightening on your eyes, your cheek, your hair.”

Cumberkand Clark Flower Song Book 1929

“here’s your sweet lavender
sixteen sprigs a penny
that you’ll find my ladies
will smell as sweet as any”

Lavender Sellers’s Cry, London England CA 1900

Each farm had food vendors offering some good eats and this farm even had some creative hard drinks for sale. I tried one and some of you will be able to guess which one I tried.

There were other flowers besides lavender to enjoy.

Before I headed to 2 more farms on my way back home I stopped at the street fair for a pulled pork sandwich and while I ate I listened to Cisco, a Northwest gardening expert.

Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm was in a nice setting and has a Garden Cafe Restaurant on the premises.

Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm was the last farm I stopped at. It was right on the highway and was my least favorite. There were lots of interesting things to see here besides lavender, though, like this little one…

Every farm had a U-Pick section of their farm where you could come away with a nice bouquet of lavender for $5.

It really is worth the trip to enjoy this heady lavender experience if you ever find yourself in Washington the third weekend in July!

Sequim ~ The Lavender Capital of North America

I’m adding this to Outdoor Wednesday with Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.  Click on her link to see the Outdoors around the world.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.