Revered for thousands of years, Lavender still holds us enthralled. The fragrant plants are a delight themselves whilst its distilled essential oils have been used for millenniums for aromatherapy, perfume, herbal medicines, culinary herbs.
It was with excitement and joy I found myself at Jersey Lavender within a couple of hours of landing on this jewel of an island of Jersey. Established in 1983, the lavender farm boosts 9 acres with 55,000 lavender plants of six varieties.
As if in a trance I wandered amongst this haven, my palms gently sweeping across the flowers, inhaling the heavenly scent. I found myself closing my eyes … my emotions filled, a dream realised on this first day of my anniversary break.
Luscious lavender
Its fervent purple promise
With forced steam distilled
The golden essence freed.
©Annika Perry, July 2019
Annika Perry 
What a lovely project, to write poems in tribute of flowers & colors – what dim world it would be without flowers, colors — & poetry!
Absolutely … I love this time of year with its abundance of flowers and colour. Winter is literally grey! All the more reason to enjoy them now, being inspired by nature’s beauty! 😀
yes, i love lavender too. its colour and its fragrance. good to be reminded about it’s soothing qualities. beautiful pics, lovely words 🙂
Thank you so much, Libby … it was a delight to write about the lavender and be inspired to try my hand at a bit of poetry! The scent is divine and I’m rationing the bottle of hand cream I bought for myself!
What a treat for the eyes. And how gloriously fragrant it must be . I love the smell of lavender. I think the first whiff I got was that of the Yardley talcum powder. Still my favourite.
Your poem is beautiful too.
Nadira, thank you so much and it was indeed a treat for all the senses! Yeah! I love how you remember Yardley products; I too used to have the talcum powder as young and reckon this is where my love of lavender comes from. Thank you for your kind words about my poem … not my normal forte but I was inspired by the beauty around me! 😀
That looks a lovely place Annika and the scent must have been wonderful. I have lots growing in my cottage garden and it smells amazing. I love the poem too.
Alison, I love the sound of your cottage garden and how wonderful to have lots of lavender growing in it! Idyllic! So glad you liked the post and poem – thank you so much. Wising you a lovely weekend and hope the weather is kind so you can enjoy being out there!🌸🌺🌻
Lavender – your poem soothes the soul as the scent of this precious purple bloom does. I absolutely love lavender and keep sachets of it all over my house – the closets, my drawers, in my pillow case. I even – get this one! – bring a little bottle of pure lavender incense to some of my writing classes and invite my students to take a quick inhale. Calms them for our 90 minute writing session – opens up the senses.
I hope you’ll tell us all more about Jersey. I grew up in (New) Jersey, USA, and the island of Jersey looks much more stunning. I hope to visit it sometime (perhaps wishes can become dreams that become reality). Happy 20th anniversary! ❤
Hi Pam! How I wish I was a student in your class … working in the heavenly scented room of lavender. I love how it opens the senses and allows even more creativity from all the writers😀 Oh, the island of Jersey is incredibly beautiful and we saw so much – hoping to share a couple of more posts from the trip. I do hope you have a chance to visit sometime. Thank you so much for your lovely wishes and also comment about my poem – must be the lavender fragrance in my study from a couple of gifts I bought for myself! Hugs xx ❤️🌺🦋
xo ❤ (wish there was a lavender emoji 🙂
Love the poem, Annika. I can almost smell the gorgeous lavender plants. Best. Heading off to Europe this week.
Mary Ann, overjoyed you could almost inhale the magic fragrance of these lavender plants … it was divine! So glad you liked my foray into poetry, it was fun writing this and one that came to me as writing the post! Have a brilliant and special time in Europe – may the music reach the heavens! You will all be floating with pure joy and spirit! 😀❤️🌺
Annika, thank you for such a kind comment. We shall be singing to the heavens in Prague at the Zofin Palace. Enjoy the poetry writing. It is a great form.
Love this fragrant herb and the lavender fields are stunning, What a joy it must have been to be surrounded by such colour and fragrance Annika.. Many thanks for sharing these wonderful images and your poem. ❤
Sue, the transformation from a busy London airport to this haven in just a few hours was astonishing! I felt like I was in heaven … soaking up the beauty and its fragrances! Pure bliss and the most wonderful start to the break. At one stage I found myself swinging away on a swing from a giant oak tree … feeling free and full of joy! Oh, so many photos from Jersey – it truly is a beautiful island! Hope you’re having a lovely start to the week! Xx ❤️🦋🌺
A lovely week Annika, just back from taking our granddaughter to see The Lion King at the cinema .. Brilliant new animation..
Sounds Idylic, Jersey is on my to do list lol..
The swing, just the thing… Enjoy! the Sun is back out here again today but much, much fresher.. 🙂 ❤ 💜💙💚🌷
Love lavender Annika.
Im trying desperately to grow it.
Kavita, I wish you all the best in growing some lavender. 😀 I have a pot at home and always find myself brushing my hand across it, inhaling the fragrance. Bliss! The key seems to be the right balance in the soil and not too much moisture!
Thank you Annika for the tip. I shall remember. 🌺🌸
Wow, to be able to look over the fields of lavender and smell their wonderful perfume = awesome day! Lavender is on my list of plants to grow someday 😀 Thank you for sharing your visit to Jersey!
Julie, with your vast space outdoors I could imagine a whole row of lavender plants … and there are so many products you can make from them! 😀 Before you know it you’ll have visitors queuing up! Oh, it was an amazing magical day and one that will stay with me – and we were blessed with many special days on Jersey. I hope to share a bit more soon. (So many photos!)
Lavender is one of my favorite fragrances. I have a lavender plant in my little yard. Quite a few of my neighbors also have lavender, so when I take a walk, I can always take a small bloom and rub it between my fingers to bring its lovely fragrance with me. I keep lavender lip gloss beside me at the computer.
Nicki, warmest thanks for your lovely comment and sharing about the lavender in your life! 😀 I’ve never heard of lavender lipgloss and will have to look out for that. Oh, it is delightful to nip a bit from the plant, inhaling the fragrance! Hope your lavender plant does well … mine is surviving … just! All the French lavender I’ve ever planted perished quickly alas!
Beautiful poem, Annika, and what an inspiring place to visit! Your day#1 was definitely well spent.
Thank you so much, Inese … poetry is definitely not my forte but I enjoy my little forays into this genre. It was a hugely inspirational place and serenely idyllic. Yes, a special start to our first day … and it ended with a sublime anniversary meal! 😀
Annika, it sounds so wonderful! I do love lavender. I use the essential oil on my pillow at night. (Among other uses.) The photos are lovely. Hugs!
Teagan, it was a magical visit … and lavender deserves to be so popular! 😀 A joy to share some photos and hopefully some of the lavender calming aromas made it across the seas! Hugs xx
I could almost smell the lavender through your words Annika. Beautiful, just like the calming and soothing scents of this beautiful plant. It’s one of my favourites. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous experiences and pictures. 💜💕 xx
Miriam … loving that the lavenders fragrance almost makes it across the world to you! 😀 It is a heavenly and soothing plant and fields of them were stunning – I couldn’t wait to share here. Are they common in Australia? Thank you so much for your lovely comment and wishing you a great week ahead! ❤️🌺
Thanks Annika, you too. Have a great week. And yes, we have beautiful lavender fields in Australia too. 💜 xx
Absolutely stunning, in every way. X
I felt so too whilst there! 😀
wonderful ode to that
purple odor i so enjoy
sampling while walking
around my neighborhood.
i feel better just having
seen your expressions
of lavender, dear Annika 🙂
David, I’m smiling at your term ‘ode’ … as I’ve enjoyed those odes of the classic great writers I’m honoured indeed with such a description! 😀 The lavender fields deserve their own ode! Lovely to know you have the opportunity to enjoy lavender in your wanderings – a gift for all the senses! Many thanks for your delightful poetic comment!
How lovely to walk through such a field of dreaminess! 🥰💜 Jackie@KWH
Jackie, ‘dreaminess’ sums up the walk exactly! It felt unreal, a magical start to the break! 😀🌺🌻❤️
Ahhh nice… and truly, your way with words does bring the lavender near! 😍💜 Jackie@KWH
Just wonderful!
It definitely was and a joy to share here! Thank you, Jennie! 😀❤️
You’re welcome, Annika. 🙂
Lavender grows well in my neck of the woods too, Annika. That looks wonderful and must indeed smell like heaven. I take it you’re on a break. Happy Anniversary!
Diana, how wonderful to have lavender near you … it never fails to calm and bring peace! 😀 Yes, we had a lovely break for our 20th (yikes!) anniversary. Thinking of you these past weeks and hope you’re doing okay. Hugs xx❤️
My hubs and I hit 25 last year and yikes is right! Lol. Another month, Annika, and then I think things will be calm enough for me to pick up routine blogging again. Until then, a bit of visiting makes me happy. ❤
A poem worthy of these beautiful flowers. You really put me in those fields, running my hands across the fields of blooms, sucking in the fragrant scent.
Ahhh … thank you so much, Shari! 😀❤️ I don’t often venture the poetry road but was inspired by my visit. My emotions were in hyper alert the whole time absorbing the peace and beauty – I am so glad I managed to transmit this across in the post. Hugs xx🌺🌻🌼
I love lavender, too! Wonderful poem! Happy Anniversary, Annika!
Thank you so much, Clare! 😀🌺 Do you have lavender in your garden? Have you visited the lavender fields in Norfolk?
Yes, I do have lavender and hope to have more eventually. I have driven past the lavender fields a few times but have never actually visited them. I believe I remember my husband ordering some lavender products from their shop a couple of times to send to his mother when she was still alive.
beautiful photos and words x
They are so beautiful, thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you! 😀 It’s always a pleasure to share a bit from my trips! 🌺
Beautiful photographs and description
Thank you so much, Derrick! 😀🌺
Such a delicious aroma! My favourite lavender farm is in Yorkshire. I wonder if I’ll have time for a quick visit when we’re back next month. 🙂 🙂
It is a heavenly treat to wander in the midst of the lavender fragrances and they also had plenty of rosemary! Where is the lavender farm in Yorkshire? I hope you get a chance to visit it when you visit next month. 😀
Helmsley way I think but I’d have to Google it to return 🌞
Pam added a few lavender to our garden this year. Nothing like your photographs…yet.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the lavenders flower for you and Pam this summer! 😀 It’s special to have them in one’s garden.
They are a welcome splash of fragrance.
Oh, lovely! And a delicious micro poem, too. ❤
Ahh … praise indeed from a poet as yourself, Khaya! 😀 Thank you so much! ❤️ Like the description of it being a micro poem – a format I don’t often attempt but this seemed to flow naturally!
What a relaxing place a field of lavender would be. I need to plant a small patch at home just for me!
It was a sublime visit … and a patch of some at home sounds a great idea. 😀 I have a couple of smaller ones but am tempted to try and expand on this!
What an amazing place and incredibly beautiful photos! I would love to wander through a field like that 🙂
Debra, it was an amazing place and I’ve longed to visit lavender fields so I was on a high! 😀😀 They are wonderful to see, just a pity the cameras can’t carry across the heavenly fragrance. I hope you have a chance to visit some!
Beautiful, there seems to be nothing quite like lavender and the bees love it too.
So true, Georgina … a heavenly respite and the sound of the bees is soothing and almost hypnotic. Even they seemed calm by the lavender whereas I have flowering bushes in the garden full of bees and here the bees are frenetically busy!
Gorgeous lavender fields! I love lavender and if I could I would plant them all around my house. Unfortunately, they can’t survive in south Florida (USA) heat. I’ve tried planting them in front of my house where there’s some shade but they died anyway. I was so sad. I do have a couple of plants inside my house that are doing well, so far and I’ll have to be satisfied with that. The smell of lavender is so delightful and comforting for me and they’re so pretty when they’re bunched together. I use the essential oil in my diffuser, especially while I write, it’s very soothing and helps me focus. Your poem and pictures are lovely. Thanks for sharing. ❤ xo
Vashti, I’m so impressed that you have lavender plants inside the house and might give that a go myself and I love the idea of your own diffuser! What a bonus that it is not only soothing but helps you focus! 😀 Having been in Florida a couple of years ago and feeling the autum heat I’m not surprised this plant doesn’t do well there, it definitely thrives in this Mediterranean-like climate … and the soil is so important too. Warmest thanks for your lovely comment and I’ve enjoyed ‘chatting’ all about lavender! 😀
Me too! ❤
That must have been heavenly to be surrounded by so much lavender. I have enjoyed the essential oil and dried flowers for years and now am trying to establish a small plot in front of the house. First blooms came this year on one of the first plantings 🙂
Yeah! 😀 Congratulations on your first lavender blooms, Janice! I love the idea of a small plot of them and what a lovely sight and scent for visitors! I have a couple of lavender plants and they do okay, not brilliant. I’ve now learnt not to overwater and also that French lavender which looks sublime is difficult to grow … explains why I lost mine. It was a heavenly visit on so many levels and so much to see lavender… fascinating to learn about the distillation process.
Lavender is difficult to establish…at least here it is where it is not native, but it is so worth the effort. Even the leaves have that wonderful lavender scent.
What a beautiful sight! I can only imagine how it must be like to wander through the gardens.
Thank you so much for visiting and your lovely comment. The lavender fields were heavenly, full of fragrance, a purple haze, the quiet interrupted by the odd insects! 😀
What a tranquil, lovely sight. Love the poem.
Lori, the whole visit was wonderfully tranquil and I felt I’d been transported to an idyllic haven … a few hours early having been in a busy London airport! So happy you liked my poem … it’s rarely I venture here and am always a bit nervous about publishing them on my blog.😀🌺
Hi Annika – congratulations on your anniversary … and love your tale of ‘a-wandering’ through the beds of lavendar – they look gorgeous … enjoy Jersey – cheers Hilary
Hilary, I’m smiling at your lovely comment and the visit was very much of ‘a-wandering’ – back and forth amongst the lavender fields, garden, distillery, cafe and back again! It was amazing and so peaceful … I felt my busy mind come to a welcome and total stop, my heart beating with utter contentment! Thank you for your well wishes and we had a wonderful time in Jersey … a place I’ll definitely visit again.
So glad … and pleased to read your answer … just wonderful … happy memories … cheers Hilary
I can only imagine the incredible aroma from the Lavender! It is one of my “daily use” essential oils and find it calming and soothing. Thank you so much for sharing this adventure and for the beautiful Luscious Lavender poem!
Yeah! 😀 Jan, lovely to meet another lavender fan! From your oils you know the scent very well … yet quite different diluted in the vast field of them, like a gentle hug of lavender fragrance! I came away with cream and oil and I’m using them sparingly as I want them to last! Thank you for your great comment and so happy you enjoyed my poem – letting my mind drift on the topic this just came to me! Xx
What a beautiful post Annika. Visiting Lavender fields is on my wish list. When I holidayed in the south of France a number of years ago, we were too early in the year to catch them. I was soo disappointed.
Oh no, Brigid, that must have been so disappointing … I imagine the ones in France are even more spectacular. We went to visit the ones in Norfolk one year but were also too early. Any chance you’ll try again? I hope my post conveys a bit of the lavender experience! 😀❤️
I hope I get to see some one day Annika. They look absolutely divine. x
Simply majestic gardens of lavender. Beauty at her best, Annika. Too good.
Kamal, majestic is jus the word … and I walked reverentially amongst the flowers! 😀 I’ve always loved lavender so to walk through fields of them was a dream come true! Utter bliss! Thank you so for your deep understanding comment.
Welcome dear Annika and yes I too can imagine the fragrances of the lavenders and you know Annika even I am a lover of these flowers. They are so beautiful. Welcome so much.
Absolutely wonderful Annika. Within hours of arriving on this island you feel transformed with the help of the lavender fields and a silence I can sense above them. Thanks for these beutiful photos and the reminder of what properties these flowers carry apart from their beauty. I believe they walked straight into you ur soul.
Then you add this beautiful poem and set the text in a lavender field. Are we going t see more poems by you? This one is so vivid and gentle.
Also, belated congratulations on your anniversary. ❤️ .
Miriam
p.s. I also have a lavender bear that has been with me for years. From a field in Norfolk.
Wow! 🤗 Miriam, heartfelt thanks for your wonderful comment … which like the lavender fields has ‘walked straight into my soul’!💕 The visit was a dream realised but so much better than I ever imagined and I felt supremely relaxed and in total bliss the whole time. A inner peace that remained with me the whole break! 😀
Haha … I’m over the moon you enjoyed the poem but I don’t think this will be a regular occurrence. I do welcome your kind words about it! Thank you also for your well wishes and how lovely to own a lavender bear … a precious friend with a calming presence. Hugs xx
Ah, such a gorgeous post… lovely, Annika!
Iris, warmest thanks and great to see you back! 😀I’ll pop over to your latest post soon but I’d been checking by now and during Spring but saw your were absent. Hope all is okay.
My pleasure., Annika. I’m fine thanks… though busy on some challenging projects lately. Kind of you to stop by to check. Really appreciated. 🌷 Have a lovely day! 😀
Oh so lovely lavender with words to match! ❤
Bette, thank you so much and that means a lot coming from you with such a gift for poetry! A place I rarely go … 😀❤️
Beautiful lavender and beautiful words Annika. Welcome back. 🙂 x
Thank you so much, Debby … I could write so much about this visit (and my initial draft was pages long!) but thought this summed up the emotion and main aspect of the garden. 😀 It’s lovely to be back, but will be away now and then as so much going on.
Enjoy the summer! 🙂
Brilliant Annika. You say so much in so few words. The poem is great too, simply reminding us all about that familiar scent and its origins.
Congratulations on your anniversary as well – any secret about what it was?
Mike
MIke, thank you so much! 😀 I’m glad you feel I capture a lot with few words … my original draft was three pages long and I felt this was just too much! Ahh … love that you like my poem too! As for the anniversary, no secret at all … it was my 20th anniversary! 🌺🌻
Gorgeous photos, Annika. I love to sprinkle lavender oil on my pillow case. It helps me to sleep more sound. Thanks for sharing your holiday with us! ❤
Jill, I like the sound of the lavender oil on your pillow case … I’ll have to try this! I have some lavender oil which I put in the bath and the whole house smells wonderful afterwards!
It was a magical break … and a delight to share this tiny part of it! Hope all is well with you and you’re having a lovely start to the week! Hugs xx ❤️
So pretty, Annika – and the fragrance is always so nice!
Ahh … Barbara, I totally agree, the fragrance is heavenly! The smell stayed with me all day (or that might have been the hand cream!) 😀
So beautiful, Annika.
Thank you, Staci … it was the perfect start to a magical break! 😀
💖
We visited the amazing lavender fields in Provence and bought a few of their gorgeous products: I find it helps me sleep and I’m never without it. 👍
Fatima, I love Provence and it must have been amazing to see the lavender fields there! Lavender is renowned for helping with sleep and when my son was young he had a little lavender bear to help him sleep … I’m sure it helped! Thank you so much for your lovely comment. 😀🌺
I used to have a little pillow too, but now I use pillow spray: it works well too. 👍
I smelled the scent of lavender through the WIFI. What a wonderful place simply be! I didn’t know that there were six types either. I continue to learn. Safe travels.
The wonders of WiFi! 😀😀 Rebecca, I wanted to transport people to the enticing fragrances of the fields and so happy this worked! These fields consisted of six varieties but reading up I see there are over 450 lavender varieties! Astonishing! In a smaller lavender garden at this farm they had over 80 on display, the white ones were striking. Oh, it’s a joy to continue learning … a gift we should never take for granted! Wishing you a lovely week! Xx
I have just added this garden to our must see places! You have the most wonderful posts! 🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️
Bless you, Rebecca … thank you so much! My heart is glowing with joy! This was a great place and I fell for Jersey totally during our break. We saw so much and the people were so friendly! Did you get to see the lavender fields in Norfolk when you were in the area some years ago? 😀❤️😀❤️
I was there when the sunflowers were blooming. By the way, we are heading back that way next year to celebrate my son’s beginning of he PhD studies. Will keep in touch. Would love to meet up in person!!!!
Congratulations to your son! Exciting times! And wow! I would love to meet up … that would be amazing. Yes, keep in touch and see how the plans go. Xx
These pictures are so pretty. Annika. I wrote a horror story about lavender because I am very allergic to bees and lavender attracts them.
Robbie, I’m very intrigued about gentle sweet lavender featuring in a horror story! 😀 So original and a totally different view from the normal! Oh, it was a joy to photograph the garden and lavender fields … just a matter of whittling down to just a few to use for the post! Hope you’re having a great start to the week, Robbie! 😀
Thank you, Annika. I suppose lavender isn’t a common topic for a horror story. My week is off to a good start as Michael is much better this week. He has been sick for days.
Annika: may I copy the lavender photo with your poem on it and post it on my blog? All attrition and a link will be posted as well.
Thanks for considering this.
Laura, thank you so much … I would be honoured and will look out for it! 😀🌺
It’s up!
Great! 😀 Thank you so much for letting me know – I’ve just commented and shared! Have a Sunday! 🌺🌸
🙂
Lavender is a soothing plant – good to help sleep too. I used to make hand creams and add a little lavender for smell, and whenever I used it at night, I fell asleep easier.
My daughter loves that color too – instead of the all popular pink.
Btw, I didn’t know there were six types. It must have been a fragrant, unique experience.
Jina, it’s great that you actually made your own hand cream … I bought some in the shop and it’s now my favourite! It smells delicious though not quite sure it’s helping me sleep better … yet! 😀
I think purple in its various shades is a lovely colour for a bedroom and I bet your daughter is very snug in her room.
As for the varieties, I just discovered there are over 450 varieties of lavender and in a smaller garden in this place they had 80 planted together with the white ones incredibly striking.
sounds lovely! I can’t imagine the smell.
try using the cream near your nose – I did. Not sure what contains in yours, but mine was all natural with no preservatives and additives – so it was safe to use on the face too.