Hundreds of people ask us every year….

“When is the best time to see the lavender in bloom?”

The short answer is summer. But that is really short and doesn’t really give you the full story. Lavender’s home turf is the area around the Mediterranean. It thrives on the wet winters and dry summers in the chalky, rocky soils that are found there. There are over 400 varieties of lavender world wide. Many people in hot and dry climates grow lavender – and they bloom earlier (usually). So, our lavender colleagues in Texas can have lavender festivals in May and June. Here in the Pacific Northwest in view of the Salish Seawaters, the lavender can bloom from sometime

in May to October. That is true, if you include Lavendula Stoechas

which can grow here. But to see fields of lavender you typically won’t fine that kind of lavender in large fields. You will see Lavendula Angustifolia starting to bloom sometime in June, last year it was towards the end – but you never know for sure.

Lavendula x-Intermedia, which is the larger of the two species/hybrids that you will find in large plantings. It’s most famous variety is named “Grosso” and has a wonderful scent. These bloom from the beginning of July well into August: It depends on the variety and the season. When you’re farming, you can’t dictate the decisions that “Mother earth” makes.

So, now you know. Tell your photographer friends, and the family members who want to go on picnics in purple, and others who are just curious. Lavender blooms in the summer.

The pictures are thanks to various sites – you can click on the pictures and see their original sites. (We like sharing, how about you?)

Lavender buds (the bits of flowers that are stripped off the stems) that are used in sachets hold their scent for a long time. During the first year after harvest they put out a lot of sweet aroma. After the first year all you have to do is squeeze them and the natural oils will release and the scent will refresh. We’ve had some sachets that were still putting out sweet smells 10 years after they were put in our underwear drawer.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated complex aromatic compounds that are extracted from plants, usually through steam distillation. Also known as volatile oils, they’re fragrant because the molecules that make up these compounds are tiny and can easily travel up into the air, unlike fatty-acid-based “fixed” oils, such as olive or corn oil.

But what makes essential oils so attractive to the senses can also pose problems if you’re not careful. Their volatility not only makes them combustible, their bottles must be kept tightly capped or they’ll eventually evaporate.

Keep all your essential oils in dark glass bottles, not plastic or metal, and away from heat and direct sunlight. Remember too that these purified, highly concentrated compounds shouldn’t be ingested at full strength. And avoid applying any pure essential oil except for lavender directly to the skin.

What makes lavender essential oil unique?

Essential oils from plants are highly concentrated compounds. Because of this, they have the potential to be both effective natural medicines and also, if used incorrectly, dangerous toxins. For example, when applied full strength to the skin, lemon oil can cause photo-toxicity, and both cinnamon and clove essential oils can be highly irritating. And it’s been discovered that some people are allergic to members of the sunflower, or aster, family of plants, even when not in a concentrated form.

For this reason, do your homework and find out as much as you can about the plant the oil comes from, any known toxicity, and how it is best used. Don’t assume all essential oils are safe. Then dilute your essential oils in a fixed oil, like almond or olive oil, before applying to your skin or adding to your bath water.

Lavender essential oil is a wonderful exception to this rule. For almost everyone, it can be applied full-strength directly to burned skin, insect bites, minor wounds, and inflammations. At the same time, its calming fragrance will soothe you and help your body to heal.

By Toni Grove, Lavender Wind Farm

Essential Oil Chemistry: A Beginning Aromatherapy Primer

By: Ginger Robbins
Uh oh. Chemistry – the word itself can make one’s eyes glaze over. But wait, this is “essential oil chemistry’. MUCH more fun! While even beginning aromatherapy students are put off by the mere mention of the subject, they eventually realize the importance of understanding at least the fundamentals. The basics of essential oil chemistry will help you appreciate what gives a fine oil its unique aroma, help you more carefully discern a good oil from a second-rate one, and can improve your practice of using essential oils therapeutically. The greatest benefits of essential oils lies in their potential for true medicinal applications, where their antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties are effectively utilized. And it is the understanding of their chemistry that enables the practitioner to select the right oils and use them most appropriately. Convinced? Well here’s a primer to get you started…
So, why are essential oils called “oils” anyway? They don’t feel greasy, and they tend to evaporate completely, unlike common “fixed” oils (such as olive, grapeseed, hazelnut and the like). Essential oils and fixed oils share a similar chemical foundation: their structures are based on the linking of carbon and hydrogen atoms in various configurations. But this is really where the similarity ends. Fixed oils are made up of molecules comprised of three long chains of carbon atoms bound together at one end, called a triglyceride. Every fixed oil is made up of just a few different triglyceride arrangements – olive oil, for example, is primarily made up of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids (the names of particular carbon-hydrogen chains forming the triglycerides). Their long-chain shape holds them in a liquid state which does not easily evaporate.
Volatile oils are another matter – volatile oils do easily evaporate, due in-part to their smaller, more complex structures. Essential oils are a sub-category of volatile oils, essential oils being specifically those volatile oils that have been distilled directly from plants (rather than laboratory made, or from another otherwise “inorganic” source). Essential oils still have a core structure of linked carbon and hydrogen atoms, but they come in a great variety of shapes including short chains, rings and multiple-rings hooked together. Each of these core structures will have what is known as a “functional group” attached – a sort of “molecular sub-unit”. Despite their seeming complexity, though, essential oils are still very compatible with mammalian biology – their atomic structure allows them to penetrate into the deepest regions of our bodies, and even to the centers of our cells.
The therapeutic action of an essential oil is primarily determined by the “functional groups” found in the molecules that make up that oil. An essential oil is actually made up of many individual molecular constituents. Each of these natural chemicals is formed of a carbon-hydrogen structure with a functional group attached. It is the combination of the base structure AND the attached functional group that makes a single, unique molecule. And MANY of these unique molecules combine to form ONE essential oil.
As you can see, essential oils are really very complex in their chemical nature. There are nearly infinite possibilities of functional group and base ring or chain combinations. And ONE essential oil alone can be made up of HUNDREDS of these different molecular arrangements. Don’t worry, though! While it sounds complex, one needn’t know all the precise chemical details to use essential oils therapeutically. Just know that any single essential oil is comprised of a few natural chemicals that make up the bulk of the oil, and many minor “trace” constituents that also affect both aroma and therapeutic activity.
The best natural, undiluted, properly distilled essential oils with all the major and minor chemical constituents will have the finest aromas AND the most potent therapeutic action. Many factors in an essential oil’s production affect the total number and relative amounts of individual chemicals found in the final product. These include where the plant was grown, soil and climate conditions, time of harvest, distillation equipment, plus the time, temperature and pressure of distillation. This can give you an idea as to why two varieties of the same oil can smell so different: The full, beautiful bouquet of a fine essential oil will contain a myriad of notes, telling you that all natural components are present and in balanced amounts.
To best understand this, we’ll examine Lavender essential oil; more than fifty individual molecules have been identified in pure lavender essential oil. The aromatherapist must remember that ALL of these chemicals found in pure and natural Lavender oil work together to produce a therapeutic effect. For example, the linalool molecule is antiviral and antibacterial; the linalyl acetate is emotionally calming; other major components including cineol, limonene, pinene and others are all noted for specific biologic and aromatic activity. It is the combined, balanced, synergistic action of these chemicals that make pure, high-quality Lavender such a great healer.
What does this mean to the lay-practitioner? That it’s important to find a nice smelling lavender oil! Each individual chemical, both major and minor, has a distinct smell, and is talked about in terms of “notes” within the overall lavender aroma. Some of these are sweet, some citrusy, some are herbaceous, and some camphorous (and the list goes on). A precise amount of each will create a certain Lavender aroma. Some lavenders are more sweet (and may therefore more relaxing), others are more herbaceous. Your nose is an incredible detector of essential oil chemistry, and you’ll be surprised how effective it is at choosing the finest, most therapeutically valuable oil. Your nose can tell you if all the constituents are in balance, if the oil is fresh, and interestingly, also if the oil is right for you – trust yourself in this regard!
A balanced approach in aromatherapy, as in all of natural medicine, is best. The most effective practitioner will have a well-developed “internal pendulum” combined with a solid education. Significant variations exist in the quality of essential oils; it is really cost effective to buy the higher grades of oil, as their synergy of expertly distilled chemicals will have the greater therapeutic action. Use your nose, knowledge and intuition to find a source you trust, that delivers consistently high-grade oils for a reasonable cost. Use these same faculties to skillfully select and apply the appropriate oil for each circumstance. Essential oils are complex by nature; at the same time, they have an exceptionally broad scope of therapeutic applications. Hopefully, this little bit of aromatherapy chemistry will enrich your ability to support your own health, and the health of those around you.
About the Author
The author has made available reports on specific anti-microbials such as tea tree and other therapeutic essential oils.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Essential Oil Chemistry: A Beginning Aromatherapy Primer

The lavender family of plants is large. There are some that ring the warmer parts of the Mediterranean and go a little further south that don’t even look like the lavenders that we think of as typical. They have a variety of names such as Lavandula buchii var. buchii, Lavandula canariensis subsp. canariensis, Lavendula minutolii var. minutolii, Lavandula roundifolia, or Lavandula pinnata var. pinnata. They have heads with multiple spikes, they don’t smell particularly nice, although they do put out a strong odor. It might be that the smell is what helps them survive, nothing wants to eat them. The leaves vary, but in general tend to have a ferny look to them. They are tender, in our northern area we can grow them as annuals, but not perennials – or you can put them in a pot and bring them inside during the winter.

While I love our Lavender Luster, which we say provides aromatherapy as you clean I never in my wildest imagination thought that I’d see “aromatherapy while you weed”! Apparently, scientists in Italy have discovered that some essential oils can be useful as an herbicide. They are finding that lavender essential oil can affect root growth in the plants. It also affects the soil microbes and fungi involved in crop growth.

Can’t you just see us dancing through the fields spritzing the weeds? If only it would be that easy. Obviously, a lot of work has to be done to find out what exactly happens to the weeds and whether beneficial microbes are hurt by the application of lavender essential oil. They have been doing research on other essential oils and are finding that cinnamon and peppermint oils are effective as pre-emergent herbicides – stopping seed germination. The essential oils used for this could be very good because they don’t persist in the environment. They are easily degraded by enzyme and microbial activity.

Turns out this isn’t as unique as I’d thought. Monterey Organics has an herbicide with lemongrass oil as it’s active ingredient. In 2002 there was a study at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station that found several herb’s oils effective in killing a number of weeds. The most effective of the herbs studied were red thyme, summer savory, cinnamon, and clove. There are more studies and products that have been completed, and I’m sure we’ll be experimenting with some, but I still love the vision of gossamer-clothed ladies spritzing the fields.

Sunshine feels like a blessing in April when it seems as if the cold rains and winds of winter won’t release their hold. This is the first Saturday that we’ve had a pleasant calm day. Gini came to take the market van to our local farmers market in Coupeville. We loaded her up with tables, a canopy, products, lots of plants, and enthusiasm. On Whidbey Island we have five (5) farmers markets! That’s a lot for a long skinny island of about 75,000 people. Lavender Wind Farm used to go to three a week, Thursday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. As things got busier on the farm we reduced the numbers and now just go to the one Saturday market.

I was on the board of the Coupeville Farmers Market for several years and learned a lot about running markets. In Washington we have the Washington State Farmers Market Association. It has rules and standards for markets as well as resources such as insurance and networking. Vendors at markets are an interesting, free-spirited lot. They pride themselves on their individual ways of doing things and their own products as well they should. But, sometimes it’s hard to get that level of individually focused people to band together or agree on a course of action. The underlying agreement, though, is to provide the best possible for their customers and to get customers to come to the markets. In cities, it’s less difficult to find people, but out here in the rural areas where the population of the town is not yet 2,000 folks critical mass can be a problem. Nevertheless, the people on this island value homegrown food and local crafts, so the market is growing every year.

Gotta go, the sun is shining and the weeds are growing.

April in the Pacific Northwest rain shadow region means that the rains are starting to diminish. At last. At Lavender Wind Farm we are waiting to hear about our application for a Water Right to collect rain from the roofs to put into a holding pond which we can then use to water things like plants in pots. We don’t irrigate here at all because we don’t have irrigation rights with our land.

Western water rights are a complex set of laws(WSU’s Water site). We live on an island which is a “sole source” aquifer. Our source of drinking water comes from one source, the aquifer under our feet that is recharged by rain. We don’t have rivers running through our island that we can take water from, so we are completely dependent on the health of the aquifer below us for drinking water. The problem is that there are many places on this island that are threatened with salt water intrusion. Our health department monitors the water situation and the level of rainfall is important in recharging the aquifer.

Lavender, coming from the dry summers and wet winters of the Mediterranean region is well suited to grow without irrigation in our Mediterranean climate. Our summers aren’t as warm as those in southern France, but our lavenders grow very well anyway. The plants that are more exposed to the harshest of our winds – the west wind – are having a harder time. They are smaller and less prolific than the others in the deeper soils and more protected areas of our other fields. Even so, we don’t irrigate. The native lavenders of France are stubby little plants in hard-scrabble dirt. These are the early colonizers of the lavendula family and it’s impressive to see them struggle for existenced in their natural way. They only have the water that comes from the rains and they bake in the hot summer sun – a real testament to survival with style. They smell so good!