The summer months are the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy all nature has to offer. One of Mother Nature’s enchanting summer gifts is lavender, a perennial plant known for its pretty purple hue and soothing scent.
The best way to enjoy the blooming season to its fullest is to explore Ontario’s many lavender farms. Whether you’re looking for a day trip or a weekend getaway, here are five of the best farms to visit.
Lavender Polo Farm
Boasting 155 acres of 100,000 English and Spanish lavenders, the family-owned operation in Gwillimbury is the largest lavender farm in Ontario. Located just 40 minutes north of downtown Toronto, the
Lavender Polo Farm is known for its luxury picnic events, typically held in July. If you’re looking for something more hands-on, the farm offers a variety of workshops from painting to flower arranging. The on-site store is also worth a visit with its variety of home, pet, and skin-care products.
Purple Hill Lavender Farm
This
family-run farm features more than 50 acres of rolling lavender hills in the town of Creemore. Located 30 minutes south of Collingwood, the farm boasts a wide variety of lavender and other flowers that make the perfect backdrop for photos. The farm also hosts an evening picnic series, kicking off this weekend and running through Aug. 3. It includes a luxury picnic complete with pillows, candles, live music, and a charcuterie box created by a local restaurant. Once you’re finished taking in the beauty of the outdoors, don’t forget to check out the boutique where lavender-infused bath, body, and home products are sold.
Avalon Lavender Farm
Located in the small town of Mono, this first-generation farm is just a 75-minute drive from Toronto and includes more than 30,000 lavender plants.
Avalon Lavender Farm features a river walk, a Celtic Stone Circle with free yoga from June to September, and an apiary with more than 1 million honeybees. You can also cut your own lavender bundle or visit the fully restored two-story 1881 Heritage Barn which houses a shop filled with lavender bath bombs, lotions, and soaps as well as edibles like honey and tea.
Apple Hill Lavender
A love of lavender and apples unites on this century-old,
family-operated farm located in Windham Centre, just a half-hour jaunt from Brantford. With its lovely lavender fields and third-generation apple orchard, it’s an idyllic spot to take a stroll or have a picnic. If you’re in the mood for a treat, you can grab a scoop of award-winning lavender vanilla bean ice cream or shop at the boutique for a variety of lavender products. The lavender fields are at their best during the month of July, but the farm is open to the public from June through December and by appointment from January to April.
Essentially Lavender
This Bruce County area farm’s tranquil setting features rolling hills, woodlots, a river, and, of course, fields of lavender.
Essentially Lavender, located in the tiny community of Formosa, offers tours of lavender gardens, shrub and perennial gardens, a labyrinth, an apiary, and a xeriscape garden. Tickets are available for picnics, a pizza night, and yoga classes while the Lavender Boutique offers a variety of heavenly-scented products.
