RELAXATION AND BEAUTY are two of the first things that may come to mind when thinking of lavender plants.
The usually purple-hued perennials, which are members of the mint family, are beautiful to look at and popular pollinator plants. Lavender is also grown commercially for its slightly sweet aromatics, which can create essential oils commonly found in everything from candles to perfume, weighted stuffed animals to eye masks, soap to cleaning products.
It’s also become a trendy culinary ingredient, with its buds being used to flavor cheeses, chocolate and even coffee. Some fans of the plant may choose to grow and dry its stems, showing it off as a folksy homegrown decoration hanging in their kitchen.
And while lavender fields may be abundant in countries like France, where you will find fields nestled between vineyards in Provence, it’s not a common sight in Mendocino County wine country — until now.
Mendocino Lavender & Pollinator Garden, the first lavender farm open to the public in Mendocino County, opened this month. Located adjacent to Foursight Wines on California Highway 128, the 2.5-acre farm has over 1,100 lavender bushes as well as a native plant garden for pollinators.
According to co-founder Kristy Charles, who also co-owns Foursight Wines, the garden formed out of a desperate need for more outdoor activities during the pandemic, especially for families. “With Mendocino Lavender, we wanted to create a space that is beautiful, beneficial to our native insects and birds,” she says, “and that can also offer educational opportunities for children and adults alike.” It was planted in 2023.
The farm offers guided and self-guided tours. Guided tours take guests on a walk through the field, where six varieties of lavender are planted. Guests are taught about the different varieties and how each can be used. Tours also include the pollinator garden, where over 300 native plants provide shelter and food for all types of animals.
In addition to touring the field and garden, guests can sip and swirl through estate wines crafted by the Charles family. The Charles family, which owns Foursight Wines, has been farming in Anderson Valley since 1942. The winery was founded in 2006 and produces estate-grown pinot noir, semillon and sauvignon blanc.
In addition to the tours and wine tastings, Mendocino Lavender plans to offer a distillation workshop to teach guests how to make essential oils. The property will also be available for special event rentals and photo shoots, which will no doubt be particularly popular during the summer, when the lavender field is at its most colorful.
Mendocino Lavender also has a retail shop inside Foursight Wines, where it sells bath and body products like soaps and bath salt, as well as brownie mix, sea salt and lemonade all made with estate lavender.
Guided tours are available every Friday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and are $16 per person with children under 12 free or $31 with a wine tasting included. Self-guided tours are available. Private tours are available by reservation. Dogs are not allowed on the farm or garden, however, dogs are welcome at the tasting room. Tours run through August. Learn more on the Mendocino Lavender website.
Sarah Stierch covers wildfires, breaking news, and more for The Mendocino Voice. You can follow Stierch on Twitter and learn more about her work and donate to her directly at here. Contact Stierch at sarah@mendovoice.com.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.