You may have tiptoed through the tulips, but have you ever frolicked in fields of fragrant lavender?
Sequim, just a 70-mile trip from Everett, is the self-described Lavender Capital of North America, and it’s hosting its 14th annual Sequim Lavender Festival starting Friday.
With more than 30 lavender farms in the area, the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is the Northwest’s Provence, a region of France famed for lavender.
Tucked into the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the Sequim area offers an ideal climate for lavender with fewer than 20 inches of rain per year and warm, dry summers.
Despite a wet spring, this year promises to be wonderful for lavender, said Vickie Oen, general manager at Purple Haze Lavender Farm, one of six places to be featured on the festival’s official tour, July 16 through 18.
Every year, really, is a good year for lavender in the valley on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula, where farmers grow an estimated 150 varieties of the herb.
Getting it to bloom right in time for the three-day festival, however, can be tricky, Oen said.
Recent sunshine and higher temperatures, however, have helped.
“The lavender is really starting to pop,” Oen said Wednesday. “I think it will be perfect for the festival.”
Each farm on the tour will feature lavender cultivation, harvesting and drying demonstrations, plus workshops, craft artists, music, food and beverages.
The Sunshine Herb &Lavender Farm will host “Lavender University” twice each day, at noon and 2 p.m. for gardeners. Students in the crash course will learn soil preparation, planting, trimming and overall lavender care.
Though lavender has long been a culinary novelty, its popularity appears to be growing. On July 18 only, all six farms will feature top local chefs showing how to enhance sweet and savory foods with lavender.
Lavender-oriented home and garden products will be for sale in addition to culinary treats.
Oen said one of the most popular products at Purple Haze stores is the farm’s lemon-lavender liquid soap.
“It is great for cutting odors on your hands in the kitchen,” she said.
U-pick lavender, which typically costs about $5 per bunch, is another popular draw for tourists, who use the flowers for fresh bouquets or dry them for fragrant, long-lasting sachets.
But the festival isn’t just about the farms: Downtown Sequim will host a free street fair, including 150 vendors selling art, crafts and lavender products.
There will also be a food court and wine and beer garden and a live music stage, plus activities for kids in a special Fun on the Field area for families.
Community activities, held in conjunction with festival, include a quilt show, bird-watching walks, wine touring, artist studio tours and a free Beatles tribute band show.
Festival spokeswoman Deborah Anastasi Black said the festival draws about 25,000 people, including about 15,000 who take the tour of local lavender farms.
“People have actually flown in from Europe and other places to attend this event,” she said. “It’s just so beautiful with all the fields in bloom. And it’s fragrant.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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