To celebrate my mother’s birthday we took a little trip to Lavender Blu, a three acre hobby farm and lavender garden on the shore of Lake Scugog.

The owner, Mila greets us warmly and welcomes us with a tour of her farm.
Together we meander slowly through the rows of lavender - we learn there are two main varieties. The French variety is taller and more fragrant and great for soaps and perfumes while the English variety is smaller and gentler and better for cooking. “If you cook with the French Variety everything will taste like soap” she says with a smile. Her lavender plants are beautiful at a distance but when you get closer you notice they are teaming with life - bees, butterflies and other insects buzz and flutter as they jump from bloom to bloom. The closer you look, the more you see.

We do a little special photo shoot for my mom and her love, spend some time photographing the flowers and farm, eat cheese sandwiches and blueberries and cut bundles of lavender. It is so peaceful here. Her mission is to cultivate calm and it is evident she puts her whole heart into this task. We have freedom to roam as we please - to take our time and enjoy. There are dry lavender bundles hanging and curtains billowing in the gentle wind. At some point, it feels like we’ve left Ontario and have been transported to a mini Provence in France.

”You must leave wild spaces - a garden that is too carefully curated leaves no room for life” Mila says, as she shows us the bee houses she’s built and this one sentence resonates so deeply with me. Mila is a true artisan and in all of this, it occurs to me that these are the type of people I want to work with. It can be Jiujitsu Athletes or Lavender Farmers - but it is these artistic souls with an attention to detail and passion for their chosen craft that always move me. That twinkle in the eye of someone who has come alive is what I enjoy photographing most.

For more information:
https://lavender-blu.com/