Visit the Lavender Fields of Valensole

Lavender is one of our very favorite scents, one which embodies the magic of the region of Provence. The lavender fields of France are spectacular, some say the best in the world! As our latest shipment of lavender fuseaux have arrived, I thought you would want to Visit the Lavender Fields of Valensole with me for this segment of Notes from the Road.

The town of Valensole itself is a charming, quiet traditional Provencal town. With a town square that features a fountain, it’s on a hill to the East of Manosque. You can walk down the main street that has small cafés, restaurants, and boutique shops, or walk up to the Church of Saint-Denis at the top of the town, originally built in the 11th century. But the main attraction is always the lavender fields.

There are beautiful lavender fields in Valensole along the road called the D8 from Valensole towards Puimoisson. You can see lavender fields with the iconic French stone cottages in the flowers. Winding roads will bring you beautiful rows and rows of lavender in contrast with a stunning mountain landscape.

Depending on the time of day and the light, the lavender takes on spectacular colors! Many of the fields are next to fields of sunflowers, this lavender farmer has his bees in between the two. I can only imagine the flavor of the honey his bees make.

The sun sets late in the summer, and it turns the sky a magical color! Many of the fields are west-facing, so you’ll get to admire the stunning sunset colors against the fields in the evening.

The last week of June and the first week in July are usually the best time to visit the lavender fields in Valensole. The lavender blossom takes place from mid-June to mid-July, the fields are usually harvested in the second week of July. It’s also the most popular time for visitors, so you will have to share the fields with plenty of people from all over. But it’s truly a spectacular sight and well worth the trip!

You can visit Lavendes Angelvin.  It’s  a working farm with tours that you can take to learn more about lavender production and the history of the estate. There’s also a shop where you can buy essential oils, soaps, and other lavender gifts and souvenirs.

The History of Lavender

Lavender’s history goes back 2500 years, and originated in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. The ancient Greeks called Lavender nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda, it was commonly called Nard. Lavender was one of the holy herbs used to prepare the Holy Essence and Nard, or ‘spikenard’. It’s mentioned in the Bible many times – in the ‘Song of Solomon’ – for instance.

Lavender derives its name from the Latin ‘lavare’ which means to wash and to purify. The Romans used Lavender to scent their baths, beds, clothes and hair, and cherished lavender for its medicinal benefits.

During the Renaissance, laundry women placed linens out to dry on lavender bushes to scent the clothes. Dried lavender bundles were used to repel moths and other insects from chests of drawers and linen armoires. Lavender, in combination with other herbs, was even believed to ward off the plague! People covered the land around the houses affected by the plague with lavender and burned the essence of lavender in houses infested by the plague to try to stop the spread of the epidemic.

Beginning in the 17th century women used lavender in more creative ways by making the lavender wands {also called batons} by weaving many stems together with beautiful ribbons in a ‘cage’ to enclose the brilliantly scented flowers inside.

From the 18th century on the lavender fuseaux were given as wedding gifts and even included in wedding dowries. So prized were they that they are even listed in the household accounts long ago, along with prized linens, silver, furniture and everything else wealthy families possessed. Even today the lavender fuseaux are a symbol of future happiness and love to brides in France.

A beautiful, portable way to bring the scent of lavender from France to your home, this year’s lavender wands have arrived at FrenchGardenHouse. Relishing in the joy {and scent!} I’m sharing a little bit of The History of Lavender today. And experiencing the thrill of a new shipment of these magical scented wands created just for all of us to enjoy. Hooray! The lavender wands are back!!

In France they are called fuseaux de lavande, and are made with lavandin, which is a hybrid plant with more fragrance and stronger stems than other lavender culitavars. It takes at least two months to learn how to make lavender wands such as the ones we sell it’s a simple yet very complext art!  The lavender must be cut when the stems are fresh and the seeds are still full of oil. They are then soaked to make the stems pliable, and the flowers are bent inward and woven with ribbons into a cage so the lavender wands will hold their scent as long as possible. It is a time consuming and painstaking effort to create even one lavender wand.

There are not many artisans left who continue the tradition of weaving ribbons in fuseau, sadly. The wands are wonderful for a fresh scent in your drawers, they’re repellant for moths. Most wands will retain their smell for 2-3 years, you can release more scent by gently squeezing the cage, and later a few drops of lavender essential oil works wonders!

The newest shipment is sprinkled around “>the Gift Collection.. You can also put the word. – wand. – in the search box to bring up all the available wands.

SHOP LAVENDER WANDS >

I wanted to let all of you who have waited and have called, emailed and message on Instagram, that we also have received a new shipment of the Marseille soaps that sold out so quickly in May. Look for lavender, rose, and vineyard cubes.

And…I finally sourced the magical candles that are sold at the Versailles gift shop! Our first shipment of these French wonders has arrived, and are selling out already! They are fabulous gifts, but don’t forget to get some for YOU because the company that makes these in France is already sold out of some of the scents.

Because summer is a great time to enjoy all the scents of Provence, whether you are there, or not!

A BIENTOT

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