Lavender Fields ~
Written, produced and photographed by @Monicahart1 Instagram
{For more lovely lavender ~ Crash our lavender inspired Girls’ Night In at Woodinville Lavender HERE!}
Images ~ Monica Hart
The fragrant valley of
blue, the quaint,
ocher farm house,
this could be a
pastoral scene straight
out of Provence.
But this gorgeous
three acre lavender farm, is
actually tucked away
in the heart of Woodinville Washington
wine country. It’s morning in the field
at Woodinville Lavender and
Tom and Brenda Frei are soaking up the
beauty. Wilfred, their trusty companion is
keeping stride. The two
fell in love with lavender while staying at a
bed & breakfast in Sequim, a city known for its lavender.
And what’s not to love about
lavender. It’s a much celebrated, fragrant herb, in the
mint family. There are more than 400 varieties, each perfumed
with that familiar and soothing scent. A scent Tom says,
takes you back to grandma’s garden. For Tom and
Brenda, the seed was planted. Then, five years ago, on a
whim, Tom knocked on a Woodinville property owner’s door. He
learned, that this lovely plot of land was about to go on the
market. It was meant to be. The transformation
began and with it, the planting.
Today, Woodinville Lavender
features seven varieties
in the field, from
English to French,
with even more in the
orchard and more still,
dotting the grounds, in gorgeous shades
of purple, pink and white.
The varieties have names like, ‘Miss
Katherine and Melissa’ and Tom rattles them
off, with an easy familiarity. The farm seems
right at home here amid the growing
Woodinville wine and tourist district. It’s certainly a
beautiful pairing and the lavender thrives in
the rich soil of the Sammamish valley.
But the guy behind the
beautiful farm,
is a bit of an enigma. You see, by day,
Tom Frei is a rocket scientist…really…he is. Yes, day job
rocket scientist and in the evenings and
early mornings, dressed in his uniform…
a purple polo, Tom looks
every bit a lavender farmer.
Farming, is in his genes though.
He grew up on a 15-hundred acre
wheat and pea farm in the Palouse.
But the mechanized production of a big-scale farm seemed
to Tom, a hard way to make a living.
He decided to build rockets, instead…and now cuts his crops
by hand. He says he is plant person at
heart and a master gardener. He read somewhere, that you
show signs of what you want to be, early. He remembers
asking for a terrarium for his birthday one year.
And now, that early passion and
the pursuit of the American entrepreneurial dream
have led him here. His engineering/corporate side,
saw the practical potential of
the lavender business and
he just opened the store,
with Woodinville Lavender products,
lining the shelves.
Tom says, a lot of people don’t realize just
how versatile lavender is,
with its medicinal, culinary and classic soothing
properties. Woodinville Lavender sells
it all, from fresh and u-cut lavender
to the dried and
potted variety.
There are oils, teas
and spice mixes too
and Brenda’s delicious lavender
shortbread cookies barely get a chance to
cool! She’ll tell you, this is really Tom’s
thing and she supports his passion.
This morning, he has already harvested and
bundled fragrant stems of lavender
for a wedding. The bride
saw these in the field and now they
will be a
part of her special day.
Tom says people want to know where their products
come from. They want the story behind the goods.
It’s something he gleaned from his
first two years in the business,
selling at farmer’s markets.
He also believes the lavender farm,
together with the French Bakery down the street, add
another layer of richness to the already fertile
Woodinville wine and tourist industry. They are
experimenting with having the patio
available for small gatherings and
having lived in the area, I know the
sunsets are incredible! Tom has been approached about
holding wine events on the
picturesque grounds. If you are so inclined,
you may soon be able to enjoy a glass
here. For now,
sit, shop, breath in,
and experience the beauty of
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this looks like a delightful escape right here in our own backyard.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi, Monica – I am stunned by the beauty of Woodinville’s lavender fields!! Your photos are incredible. It is very beautiful. Looks a lot like Provence, but the house / building looks very Swedish. Many homes and barns in Sweden are painted that yellow….and that red, too. Thanks so much. You know how much I love lavender :-)
Cheers,
Loi
I love the idea of pairing a local bottle of wine with the beauty of lavendar. Thank you for letting us know of this local treasure!
A salute
Dana and Linda,
We really must go! Would love to spend that birthday gathering here!
Loi,
Love your global knowledge! I believe I’ve seen the beautiful photos of the lovely red Swedish doors on your blog! It really is breathtaking here…you would love it.
Thank you for visiting,
Monica
ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!!! Can’t wait to go there!
xoxox Janice
Wow! That is soooo beautiful. Every year, I pretend that lavender will grow for us in FL if I only love it enough. But then the heat, humidity, rain… etc., etc. knocks it out again. So this was such a treat to see fields of it. Thanks Monica for the wonderful pictures.
Janice,
Get here already :)
Donna, Thank you!! From reading your blog….I think you would love the lavender fields here! Thank you for
visiting! Monica
So beautiful! You can never have too much lavendar…
We live just up the hill (past the school house) from you. We tried to stop by a week or two ago but came too early. We’ll certainly try again in the coming weeks. Beautiful!
The pictorial is a great preview to Woodinville Lavender, but in person it is truly a getaway to the French countryside.,
Wonderful place to bring friends for a touch of the beauty and the calm of a beautiful “FARM”. Shop at the charming store for a lavender product. (many fun choices)
You will be pleasantly surprised by this “stopby” in your travels……..Joanie
I am so excited about this! I know Brenda, I work with her. The sweetest girl around, she never told me about her lavender fields! I am going to stop by there today and buy some lavender!!
I love the fields of lavender. Like the woman from Florida I live in Alabama and have tried to grow several types of lavender and it would die. I would water and water and even cover up the plant with cardboard to keep the sun off it, but would still die. How beautiful and blessed ya’ll are. Thanks so much for sharing. I have a shop and wondered if you ever ship the whole stalk of lavender and how long it would last. I am planning on ordering some of your tea for my shop. I think customers here would love it. Thanks again for sharing and giving us such a beautiful picture of your place.
Betty Whatley
Hello Betty,
The lavender fields are heavenly, I must admit! Thank you for visiting!
Here is the contact information for Woodinville Lavender.
Contact Information
(phone) 425-398-3785
(e-mail) info@woodinvillelavender.com
Take care,
Monica