Mr. Blue man and I had a blast visiting a few of the Lavender Farms last weekend. This was our second time around; we went two years ago with my brother the Bastrop Brewer and his wife Ms. Annie. Blanco is about an hour away from our place in SW Austin. The Lavender festival is held in the town center of Blanco, featuring you guessed it, everything Lavender. But the real fun is had en route to Blanco, where the Texas landscape meets up with the festival’s Lavender farms. The Blanco Lavender Festival is now in its 6th year; a few years ago, most of the Lavender Farms were newly planted and still in their farm infancy. The heat was, and is, insane at this time of year and the drought was extremely hard on the newly established farms. This year I was excited to see the farms and once again planned to go with the Brewer and his wife. But as my plans would have it, they didn’t include a summer cold that made me miserable and unable to breathe. No fun when your plans involve Lavender, farms, humidity, and did mention the heat? One more day of rest and I was golden, or should I say Lavender? Blue and I, sans the Bastropians, ended up leaving the following day a little late, well rested, and ready to breath in the bountiful Lavender aromas.

This year we made it to two Lavender Farms: Miller Creek Lavender and Hill Country Lavender. They are both amazing farms run by some very amazing women. Both have grown not only with the beautifully established Lavender fields, demonstration gardens, and the array of products, but they also survived the first years in a serious drought and had water issues, the latter being what every farmer struggles with here in Texas. It was truly great to see the farms thriving! I loved looking at all of the amazing Lavender products, tasting some amazing Lavender Margarita mixes and talking with the women farmers which also happen to be the farm owners. How cool is that!?

Enjoy the photo tour of the Lavender Farms, numerous plants, a bit of Blanco and even one of me thrown in.

The Lavender farm at Miller Creek.

A stone in the Miller Creek Lavender garden.

‘Grosso’

‘Vera’

‘Sleeping Beauty’

A Miller Creek moment.

Bee Balm

Wildflowers galore…

plus a garden dragonfly.

And then this

meet the Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

Just gorgeous..

Next stop

After touring the lavender farms we headed to Blanco to eat, meander and swim at the State Park.

A purdy plant in the town square.

I also took these fantastic sunflower photos.

I really liked swimming at the State Park after having BBQ @ Riley’s. Yumm. The pulled pork is NOT to be missed – it’s the best – and NOT pictured. It’s looong gone in me belly.

My “souvenirs”, lavender plants that I picked up at both farms.

On the left ‘Provence’ and the right ‘Vera’. These are about to be planted in my new garden!

Lavender fields forever.

I hope you are enjoying summer! Wishing all’s y’all Daddy-o’s, Fathers, & papas -

A very Happy Father’s Day.