Festival Almost Here

The 2nd Colorado Lavender Festival is almost here and I'm so excited!  Nearly 4000 people are expected to attend. We have plenty of vendor booths, food, music, workshops and Festival Merchandise for sale.  Last year, a fabulous cookbook "Spike It With Lavender" was created by LAWC member Lida Lafferty. This year she has a packaged insert of new pages to add to the book.  Each year she will publish a new batch so the book can continue to grow with new recipes and tips.  The T-shirts are great this year, very colorful. I'm buying 2 or 3 because I last year I only bought 1 and it is almost worn out.  This year's version is so cute, I'll wear it a lot.  Check out the Festival website for prices and pictures. You can order online if you can't attend the fair. http://www.coloradolavender.org/


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lavender filled drawer pillow sets 4"x6"


I'm finishing up my sewing projects and will have a lot of new items for sale.  My friend, Roberta, helping me design my booth setup to improve the visual appeal. She has a background in merchandising and has an eye for attracting people's attention through placement.  In a limited space of 10"x10" booth, my creative ideas are pretty limited.     6 25 12


3 closet hangers full of lavender



The Little Lavender That Could .....

 

4 11 12 looks like a goner after transplant



Greetings all you lavendeers!   I'm one of those women who likes to move the furniture around and create new looks.  But I've taken that skill (it is not an obsession, regardless of what some people say) into the yard.  I like to move plants if they are looking a little weary.  What I have found - actually something we all know -- is that lavender must have a lot of direct sun each day.  This poor little guy, for instance, looks pretty sad because while small it seemed to be far enough away from a tall evergreen to get full sun. 
But as it grew larger (and the evergreen spread a bit more) it fell into a shadow for much of the day.  So I moved it  to a sunnier spot.  It looks pretty sad but I think it will be ok. 
                    

Below, a month later, you can see the green on the tips and June 2 looking greener.

5 22 12 a month later seeing some green

6 2 12  determined little critter

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS

"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!"  

                        (Paraphrase from a world famous speech. Do you know who)? 

 



 

Today 6 12 12  it's blooming - purple flowers.
I'll cut out the rest of the dead wood and see what happens next. 









Red Kew Lavender

Isn't this unusual lavender?  A friend asked me if I knew anything about it.  She had seen it one time and thought it was so beautiful.  She wanted to find some and grow it here.  I had never heard of it and so did a little research.  It is a lovely red-violet color and has light pink bracts on the flower tops. The foliage is gray-green with short compact leaves.  It grows to about 16-18". The problem is that it is a Spanish Lavender that is hardy to US zones 8-11.  Here in Western Colorado we are zone 5 or 6 or 7 so it must be sheltered from low temps. To thrive, it needs more moisture than the English and hybrid lavenders that grow so well in our hot climate and dry soil.  I found a seller in Canada (Reichters) and purchased 3 plants.  I'll give one to my friend who introduced it to me and I'll try to grow the other 2.  Starting out I'll put them both in one large pot and watch them daily to be sure they are faring well.  Cross your fingers!!!     6 8 12






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