**UPDATE - JULY 26, 2019 **
A quick update. While work continues to refresh and replace plants we lost, the lavender that did make it through the rains is doing really well. Many of the beds are are now in full bloom. While we don't have the spectacular full color of prior years, the plants that survived are thriving. Thank you to everyone that has come out so far and supported the farm, and if you haven't yet, please come visit. It's beautiful here right now. 

Dear Lavender Friends,

We are writing with an important update on our 2019 field conditions. If you live in New England, you know first hand just how wet a fall, winter and spring we have had. The crucial spring growing season of April and May had record rainfall (second most ever recorded) with 19 days of rain in April alone.

The result of all this rain has been decimating to many lavender farms, and at Lavender Pond Farm it means wet fields, and many soaked, unhealthy lavender plants. Lavender is a drought tolerant plant that craves sunlight and does not tolerate excessive water. Like many home gardeners, we have had significant plant loss this year, so much so that we are writing this post in an effort to try and set expectations for this year’s bloom.

What We Are Doing

Our family is committed to making Lavender Pond Farm an iconic destination for years to come. If you’ve followed our story, you know that the nexus for starting the farm came from a very pure place and like most farmers, we have invested much more than we would ever hope to recover. We have begun a three-pronged approach to addressing the challenges we face:

• Plant Replacement – Literally thousands of lavender plants are being replaced in the coming weeks. Complete beds have been lost and we are working non-stop to re-plant and revitalize our fields.
  
  
•  Drainage – We are attacking problem areas in the fields with additional French drains and in some spots, sump pumps to try and anticipate future flooding concerns. 

• Bed Enhancements – We are hoping to make some (lavender) lemonade out of Mother Nature’s lemons and using this as an opportunity to make improvements to some of our low lying beds, elevating them and adding more dry material to the base.

 “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man.”
– George Washington

What This All Means

It’s super important to us that those that visit Lavender Pond Farm enjoy their time here. We respect that many of you travel a great distance and may arrive with an expectation of massive purple blooms. Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, that will not be the case in 2019. This will be a rebuilding year for our farm but the hope is that those efforts will yield a bigger and brighter future for all of us.

That said, it is not at all doom and gloom here. There will still certainly be plenty of blooming purple flowers in the coming weeks. The farm is still a really cool and pretty place to visit and our shoppe is still the best place in the world (slightly exaggerated) to buy all-natural lavender based products, plants and of course lavender lemonade.

How You Can Help

You play a very important role in all this. The most important thing you can do is come visit and support our efforts. Not just by making purchases in our shoppe or online (that definitely helps!), but also to understand and be supportive of what we are trying to do here. Not just for our family and farm, but for our community, our state and lavender growers across the U.S. Lavender farming (any farming) is not for the weak of back, heart or soul; so please keep the big picture in mind and your comments positive. Trust, we are doing everything we can to be “a more beautiful place.” 

The Details

Here’s what you can expect this from us this season:

•  Farm Hours - The farm is currently open Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 4pm. Effective June 17 we be open 7 days a week 10am – 4pm. Walk the fields, stroll around the pond and visit our shoppe for lavender plants, lotions, sachets and much, much more. 

• Train Schedule – Train tours of LPF will begin on Friday, June 14. The train will run Thursday – Sunday, on the hour (or more frequently if we’re busy) starting at 11am and the last train at 3pm. Tickets are $6 per person. As we get more into the bloom season we will add additional train days. Check our Facebook page or website for updates. 

• Field Bistro – We are working on our menu for the Field Bistro. We will not be serving lunch this season, but lavender themed snacks and beverages. We’re shooting for a Father’s Day Weekend opening. Stay tuned…

In Closing

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for your understanding. And most importantly, thank you for your continued support of Lavender Pond Farm.

 “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness.”
- Thomas Jefferson

 P.S. If you made it this far, you're rewarded with a 20% discount coupon on your next online (only) order. Just enter promo code HOPE at checkout. Thanks for your support! (Code expires 6/30/19).