Finding Lavender in Provence

Trailing fingers along the delicate purple tips released a sweet earthy scent as we walked slowly through fragrant fields of lavender in Provence. Heavenly. And captivating. Inhaling deeply induced a relaxing, calming affect. Melting last tendrils of stress…

We were alone in secluded fields, surrounded by quiet and beauty. Rolling hills of perfectly groomed lavender sloped down and then up into the horizon as if reaching for distant mountains in the Plateau du Valensole.

Hues darkened to purplish-blue and intensified as clouds hid the sun, bringing out rich colors on this early morning.

My daughter, Jordan, and I were on a little road trip extending our time together after our small group tour in Provence had ended. It was late June, the beginning of lavender season. We knew that the most scenic fields this time of year would be in the eastern region of Provence in the Plateau of Valensole. So we rented a car in Avignon and traveled 96 miles east to Valensole. Along the way, we stopped at a farm in the Luberon to learn how to harvest lavender the old-fashioned way. Then continued driving east to another lavender farm, where we stayed overnight in a renovated silo.

 

Where & when to go…blooming season for lavender in Provence

Did you know that there are over 620 miles of lavender routes in Provence? Roads traverse from the heart of Luberon, up to Sault in the Haute-Provence, and southeast to the Plateau de Valensole.

So where should you go?

That answer depends on when you’re here.

The blooming season is rather short, and varies for each of these 3 regions due to differing elevations. Sun and rain further affect blooming conditions. But generally Valensole blooms first, usually late June to mid July. The Luberon is next, blooming from early to late July. And Sault blooms last, late July to mid-August, celebrating harvest with a festival Aug 15th each year.

 

A teensy history about lavender in Provence

Lavender in Provence dates back to Roman times. They were the first to recognize the therapeutic properties of its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities, and used it for cleansing and healing. During the Middle Ages, it was the monks who grew lavender. They too used it for healing, and fighting off the Great Plague, but also for warding off evil spirits in religious ceremonies. Still today monks at Abbaye de Senanque, near Gordes, grow lavender in their monastery garden.

In the 18th century, tanners in the small Provencal town of Grasse used fine lavender to perfume leather gloves. This was such a hit that they changed their business from tannery to perfumery in 1759. And now, with 30 perfume factories going strong, Grasse is the perfume capitol of the world. By the 19th century, fine lavender became desired for essential oil and aroma therapy. Today, lavender remains a valuable crop, most popularly distilled for essential oils. It’s still used in herbal remedies, like the Romans discovered, to treat insomnia, headaches and other ailments. And used in perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, food and tea. Lavandin and hybrid variations are used to scent candles, laundry detergents and soaps.

 

Harvesting lavender in Provence, the old-fashioned way

Traditionally, monks, shepherds and women were the ones who cut the stems with a sickle and gathered wild lavender in Provence. Some small farms still continue this tradition, producing up to 800 hand-cut bouquets a day, preferring to connect with nature and feel closer to the land.

Today, my daughter and I would be trying it!

Driving to a farm south of Cucuron in the Luberon, we met farmer Virginie. She came out to greet us, smiling. Wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a hat, she pointed to the intensity of the sun, asking us if we’d brought a hat. “You’ll want to wear one.”

It was mid-morning on a warm sunny day without a cloud in the sky. Terrible conditions for photography, but a great time to harvest lavender. Oils are more potent in the morning, producing more potent bouquets.

Carrying a curved metal sickle inside a wooden crate, she led us to her lavender fields. Despite being in the heart of the Luberon where most lavender fields aren’t blooming, hers are. And ready to be harvested.

“The first important step is to introduce yourself to the bees,” she said, putting down the crate.

Taking out the sickle, she gently waved it across the tips of lavender buds. “Bonjour, bees…”

This motion encourages them to move along to a different spot. And prevents surprising them—which could result in a reactionary sting.

Demonstrating how to grab a small handful of stems below the flowers and use the sickle to slice through the stems with a curving motion, she swiftly produced a cut bunch and tossed them in the crate. Then handed Jordan the sickle. We took turns using the sickle to harvest lavender the old-fashioned way. The blade was sharp and cut easily through the stems.

In no time, we’d cut enough lavender to make a bouquet. She encouraged us to cut more to create a larger bouquet to take home. Or make two!

But we didn’t want to waste any. Jordan would be flying home in a couple days and couldn’t take it on the plane.

One big beautiful bouquet would be perfect!

Returning to the table outside her shop, she tied twine around the stems. She told us to hang it upside down to dry, and out of the sun to keep its color.

Bouquets like this are sold all over Provence. And are exported around the world. Of the 2,000 lavender farmers in Provence, a tiny percentage still use a sickle to harvest their crops.

Some farmers may hand-cut enough to sell bouquets to local shops, but commercially harvest the rest and haul it to a distillery where its essential oil is extracted through steam.

Virginie invited us into her shop to taste some of the syrups she makes from herbs and plants from her farm. Bringing out an assortment of flavors like thyme, lavender and basil plus several more, she mixed them with water and poured them into small cups for us to taste while telling about their individual uses and remedies. Thyme was our favorite, and we bought a bottle. Will be good to have on hand for colds and sore throats. Before we left, she gave us each a small bottle of lavender essential oil to take home. Merci beaucoup!

We booked this experience through the Provence-Alpes-Cote D’Azur Tourisme site. Rates are 20€ per person. Offered at 10am only, on specific days from late June to mid Aug.

 

Staying on a lavender farm in Provence

We found a unique, and convenient, place to stay a mile southwest of Valensole. A dovecote on a farm in the middle of lavender fields! Lucky for us it wasn’t rented yet. This is a small community and lodging goes fast. Six weeks before our arrival, area hotels were already fully booked, as the end of June signals the beginning of their tourism season. We found this listing on Air BnB and were delighted to stay there.

The location made a great base for visiting lavender fields. It’s situated right off of D6, the main road heading into town, just past the large building with purple words LAVANDES Angelvin with its neighboring lavender fields & famous lone tree.

Very convenient to be staying so close to the Angelvin fields, as we planned to be there by sunrise, at 5:30am.

This property offers assorted lodging options from queen rooms to apartments. But only one dovecote.

The drive here from the Cuceron lavender farm took one hour, and was an easy drive, all highway. When we arrived, the place looked empty so we wandered around a bit. Colorful bee boxes lined the perimeter of planted lavender fields, not yet in bloom. There was an outdoor kitchen and terrace where breakfast and dinner would be served. Beside that, a pool, and the silo tower where we’d be sleeping.

The farmer, Christophe, soon came out and gave us a key to our room. He was pleasant and spoke some English, confirming our requested time for an early dinner at 7pm instead of 9pm when he typically serves dinner at sunset.

We left our suitcases in the car trunk and brought in the few items we’d need. Good thing we did, because there was little floor space in the tower. Climbing the steps up to the bedroom, we found a queen bed that fit snugly into the space. Cubbyhole storage units lined the back wall, with a flat screen tv at the foot of the bed. A large window overlooked the pool and vast lavender fields beyond. Rapunzel, let down your hair!

Behind the bed, a spiral staircase descends to the ensuite bathroom with shower on the ground level below. The tight narrow stairs were no trouble for us, but may pose a problem for someone tall or with mobility issues. The dovecote space felt cozy and comfortable for a one night stay. And we both slept well.

Christophe served us dinner on the terrace. There’s no menu so we had no idea what we’d be getting. For our first course, he brought out fresh tomato slices drizzled in olive oil, followed by fried chicken and rice. I passed on dessert, which was 2 scoops of ice cream.

For breakfast the next morning, he served us coffee and a large baguette with honey made from his farm.

It was a peaceful place to stay, and I can imagine would be truly spectacular when his lavender crops are in bloom.

 

Finding lavender fields in Valensole

If you search for lavender in Provence pics on Instagram, chances are high that they were shot around Valensole. This destination is well-known, and so sought after, that photographers based in Paris charge 500€ for a 2 hour photo shoot!

Popular lavender fields ~~D6

The most popular place to go is on D6, an easy 6 minute drive southwest of town. There are lavender fields on both sides of this highway, the best groomed between Terraroma distillery and Lavandes Angelvin. The latter fields have a gentle slope with a lone tree–an iconic image you’ve surely seen.

Searching for that postcard scene, we drove back and forth on D6. Jordan finally spotted the tree, pointing to an empty field. “Is that it?” No, can’t be.

But, surprisingly, it was. Little did we know that lavender is not always planted in the same field year after year. Even on a lavender farm. (So much for our sunrise location.)

Popular this year, instead, was a field across the highway, a little further south. Tourists flocked to those fields morning to night. Not sure why… it was flat with distracting telephone poles and cluttered clumps of trees all around. Not nearly as pretty as others we found. And crowded with people.

Our favorite lavender fields ~~D56

When in doubt, always ask the locals! Farmer Christophe told us that the best lavender fields blooming right now were on D56, on the road heading to Puimoisson. So we took his advice, drove through the cute little town of Valensole and beyond to check out the scenery.

The 9.3 mile route between these two towns takes 23 minutes one way. Without stopping. So of course it took us longer, as scouting always does.

Stone hut

Roughly halfway down this road is where we decided to shoot first. There was a small stone hut in a dirt field in a clump of trees. Across the street was a lavender field. If you positioned yourself just right and squatted down you could capture the stone hut and line of trees in the background.

 

Mountain backdrop~~ Sloping downwards & upwards

Driving further north toward Puimoisson, on D56, we found another field with perfectly groomed rows of purple lavender sloping downwards and then upwards. Shooting toward the left of the scene, the field appears wilder. Trees and distant mountains become visible too.

Crouching down removed some of the trees from view. But you could easily create a simpler, cleaner image by shooting straight on. Facing north, you could eliminate the entire background of trees and see the beautiful symmetry.

 

This is also where we went the next morning at dawn. No glorious sunrise… but I loved the subdued hues in the soft, diffused light from overcast skies.

Once again, we had these fields to ourselves. So serene. Lavender’s fragrant aroma scented the air, making us feel happy and carefree.

 

 

Two trees~~Sloping upwards

Driving beyond the last location we found this field after rounding a right curve in the road about 5 minutes later. This field faces south and slopes up a hill toward two symmetrical trees. A beautiful field! Excited, we parked on the side of the road and jumped out.

Exactly one minute later, rain began to fall, trying to dampen our mood. Ha, didn’t work, we were in gorgeous Provence after all!

If you look closely, you can see rain in all of these images…

Soon it was time to drive back to the farm for dinner. After eating, we changed clothes and came out again for sunset. Jordan convinced me to put on the dress she wore earlier this afternoon. Scouting around for a west-facing field proved futile—would we even see a sunset on this cloudy day anyway? So we decided to return to this field before the sun completely disappeared. And dug out the tripod to capture Mom and daughter..

 

Surprise find! Clary sage fields

Scouting for for scenic lavender fields, we were surprised to find these romantic looking pink-and-white flowers carpeting a valley with mountains in the backdrop.

So pretty!

I later learned it was Clary Sage.

Might’ve been my favorite find of the trip because it was so unexpected!

 

General tips for photographing lavender in Provence

Allow plenty of time for scouting out locations in advance. Travel distances between blooming crops can be quite long. Have an idea where to go and mark those spots on your map, but be flexible as last year’s lavender field may be sunflowers or wheat. Try to find east and west facing fields for sunrise and sunset.

Shoot during the soft light of dawn and the golden hour before sunset. Or under an overcast sky.

Analyze the direction of the sun. Choose backlighting (shoot toward the sun) for golden highlights in the hair and rim lighting of long sleeves or hats. Or side lighting to bring out the textures of the plants. Avoid front lighting (when sun is positioned behind you) which tends to be flat and boring.

Avoid bright sun in the middle of the day as heavy contrasts between light and dark are unflattering on everyone. Shadows appear under eyes unless faces are aimed up at the sky. Or wear a wide-brimmed hat to help diffuse the sun hitting your face.

Try to eliminate distracting elements in the background by crouching down, shooting down from a high vantage point, using a long lens to isolate your subject or aiming in a different direction.

When shooting portraits, use a shallow depth of field to soften the background. For example, I used f1.8 on the first image of this post.

If shooting landscapes, use f/16 or f/22 to capture details in the field. Or do stacked focusing—using a tripod.

Don’t forget to shoot details too. Like bees, buds, and the curious snails that appear on the tips of lavender blossoms.

 

Valensole village

We’d driven through this cute village several times during our stay enroute to our favorite fields. And had to make time to visit before we left!

Purple doors, painted shutters and purple flower strands decorated the central square.

It’s an easy place to find lavender souvenirs. Shops sell everything lavender —from scented soaps, lavender-flavored honey, fabric sachets, decorated tins, and lavender bouquets to aroma therapy  essential oils. This community celebrates lavender harvest with a festival the 3rd Sunday in July.

Driving out of town on D6, we also stopped at Terraroma, a large shop specializing in high-quality lavender and lavandin products for wellness and cosmetics. They produce many different essential oils and also Provencal almonds and pralines. Outside, beyond a stand selling lavender ice cream, we saw lavender fields marked with signs to identify different types of lavender.

And then it was time to leave for the next part of our journey. I’m glad we rented a car and chose to overnight here instead of a quick day trip. Wandering through those fragrant fields when the lavender in Provence was blooming was absolutely lovely…

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