It would be fair to describe me as a lavenderaholic, if there is such a label. I can never get enough of this botanical that possesses most therapeutic scent in the universe.
I have a dozen lavender plants scattered around my garden, but I still like to tour the commercial acres of lavender this time of year. Last year I visited the Lavender Bee Farm – this weekend we decided to pop into Matanzas Creek Winery, famous for their gardens, lavender farm, and acclaimed chardonnay.
I convinced the kids it was worth the half hour drive because they could go hunting for bunny rabbits, ala Elmer Fudd. We didn’t spot any, but at least the idea kept them busy while Mr. CG and I strolled the grounds.
Their Spanish and English lavender is already in bloom ! Mmmm, can you smell it ?
The French varieties (Grosso and Provence ) are just beginning to bud.
In a mere three weeks, the fields will look just like this:
What I love about Matanzas Creek Winery is that you can stroll the lavender fields and gardens without any appointment, unlike some of the larger lavender farms that are only open once a year on harvest weekend (mid June).
The fields at Matanzas Creek are terraced with beautiful rock walls.
There are mature oak and olive trees scattered throughout.
You’re welcome to park underneath the wisteria . . .
Matanzas Creek has some gorgeous water features too.
It’s all very Giverny-esque.
You can sit out on the massive wrap around deck under the oaks.
Plenty of splurge worthy homemade lavender products in the gift shop.
I’ll take fifty please.
Or you can just spend your afternoon playing bocce ball under the tangerine umbrellas amid the surrounding gardens. *** Sigh *** Might have to dream of book a future couples afternoon right here.
Matanzas Creek was featured in the New York Times travel section last summer – you can read the entire article here.
It was ‘Passport to Sonoma’ weekend, so we stayed out of the tourist filled tasting rooms and just took in the valley view.
We took a drive through Kenwood on our way to the Sonoma Creek Falls, which is the only waterfall in the county. Just five minutes from the hot and dry Sonoma Valley floor are some marvelous hiking trails through redwoods.
The 1/4 mile walk to the falls is easy enough for little tykes.
I absolutely love the damp earthy needle scented smell of a forest floor. Could someone figure out how to bottle this pretty please ?
Nothing’s nicer than the lull of the water as it trips over stones and rocks along a creek bed – it’s such great exercise for little feet too. To me, only ocean waves can compete with the sound of a babbling creek.
There’s something about a nature hike to the falls that brings out the Tarzan . . .
. . . and Jane in all of us.
Now I know why Viva Terra is so brilliant selling their river stone bath mats.
After a long day filled with sensory delights, I returned home to see our own French lavender budding in the garden.
Mmmmm, such an intoxicating scent !!
I’m looking forward to my own harvest next month – at least three pounds of deliciously scented organic lavender buds.
Hey, what a great idea for a giveaway, right?
Coming up next, a fireplace revamp you’ll love . . . can’t wait to show you.
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Ultimate beauty… this from the fellow “lavenderaholic”.
That sounds like a heavenly day for all of you – letting the children enjoy what is important in life…
I so enjoy your blog. This week I am doing link love to the blogs I love so much. I linked your page to mine and i hope you will check my blog out. I just put in a lavender garden in my back yard! I hope I have as nice of one as the pictures you took.
What a gorgeous post! Intoxicating indeed!
Looks like it was a fabulous day for you & your family! I’m adding those 2 places to my “must see” list of beautiful places.
Lavender has to be one of my most favorite flowers! I love making lavender & rose petals organza sachets to hang in my closets and between sheets. I just made some Lavender linen spray.
At last I have the perfect spot to grow lavender in my yard, sunny & hot with sandy soil, right outside my laundry room windows. Now to convince “someone” to let me dig up the poor excuse of a lawn that’s growing in that spot, lol.
Ahhhh….I am relaxed just looking at the photos. Lavender is one of my favorites also. It’s the fragrance. I’m glad they’ve bottled that! ;) The walk in the woods looks great too. Lisa~
Wow. It looks like heaven!
Beautiful!! I LOVE lavendar!
i tried to tour the lavender fields on maui when i was there a few weeks ago, but i could not find it. we drove up and down the road it is off of, and i didn’t see any signs or arrows. the gps couldn’t find it when i searched the road, or the word lavender under attractions. so dissappointing. thank you for posting this, i can at least imagine what it would have looked like!
I would be so in heaven with all that lavender I adore it!!! Bliss for me….
You post the most gorgeous glimpses of your part of the country, Kate. I’ve planted a bit of lavender in my own little garden. I hope it grows! :)
Oh where is the scratch and sniff button when you really need it?
I finished a 23 year project on Friday. Come by and see.
Oh, that’s beautiful! I want to plant lavender in my own yard but haven’t researched what variety would be best. I’m so bad about commenting because I read in Google reader, but your blog is my absolute favorite decorating blog. Your posts inspire me! Thank you for your hard work in blogging!!
Such a beautiful place and with the great pics and descriptions you posted I could *almost* smell it.
Oh, gosh, a giveaway of your very own homegrown lavendar? Scentsational!
What a lovely weekend. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I think my girls would be in heaven there! What a wonderful spot for families (or couples) to spend a day. I can’t smell (ever), but I can certainly enjoy the site of the lavender. :)
Kate your photos are just gorgeous. Looks like a fun weekend was had by all. You’re so lucky to have all of that beauty {and wine!} right there.
It all sounds so heavenly. Those lavender gardens are now on my “must see” list for the next time I visit your neck of the woods!
I am preparing to plant lavender all around our house today, so excited to see this post in hopes of the green an purple flourishing in our borders. Thanks for posting!
So gorgeous! I love the smell of lavender. I’d love to time a visit out to my in-laws to see it in bloom. Maybe next year – by then I’ll be done with pregnancy and can have some of that chardonnay!
I love your blog…it is so precious. You are so creative! I made your wine glasses this past week.
http://mmlsmusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/centsational-wine-glasses.html. My friend LOVED her gift. I cannot wait to make more of these as presents in the future. Happy Monday!
Love lavendar as well! Have you ever had lavendar infused chocolate? It is heaven!
ok, it’s official, I miss CA, my home state. Although I have managed to cultivate some lavender from seed out here in VA and it made it through 2 winter blizzards, but oh to have a lavender farm. that’s on my bucket list.
Mmmm. I have Spanish lavender in a pot by my front door, and this year it’s finally budding! (I bought it last year.) A friend and I did a wine tour in the Texas Hill Country (north of San Antonio) a few summers ago, and one of the wineries had lavender fields–smelled sooo good. I even tried some wine flavored with lavender. ;-)
I think that is the winery Jamie Durie visited for inspiration for one of his HGTV garden redos. I’ll have to put that on my list – beautiful!
Thanks Kate. My sister-in-law is visiting us from Scotland this summer and a visit to Matanzas and the waterfalls will be on our list of day trips. Thanks for sharing the beautiful settings.
I am from Sonoma County and this post made me truly homesick.
As for your comment: “I absolutely love the damp earthy needle scented smell of a forest floor. Could someone figure out how to bottle this pretty please?”
Check out Royal Apothic’s line of home fragrances: http://www.royalapothic.com/home.html
The packaging is gorgeous. I have the Terra Firma room spray and absolutely love it. It smells like fresh grass and green tea. I met one of the reps at a store event and supposedly they bottled the scent of fog…so why not the forest floor?
Our lavender is also budding, it’s the French kind, I can’t wait for it to be in full bloom!
beautiful place and beautiful photographs
What a beautiful place to visit! Looks like you had a wonderful time.
I never appreciated the beauty or scent of lavender until I saw the fields in Provence, France.
Now I grow it in my own yard (and it’s deer resistant!!!)
What a beautiful garden to visit all that lovely lavender.
lovely post, I am also a lavender lover – can’t get enough of it.
JoAnna
What a gorgeous post. Such a beautiful place!!! Thanks so much for sharing with us. Those lavender fields are so pretty. Love & blessings from NC!
Sounds like heaven!
Beautiful pictures. Lavender always puts me in a good mood.
I have lavender planted around the tree in my front yard. The plants have spread nicely and I need to transplant them into a bigger garden bed. If they eventually grow to even half the size of the lavender plants on that farm I will be one happy lady.
Ooooh lavender! Makes me sleep better. I dream of going to see the redwoods someday. Just amazing. And you reminded me, I have some Kenwood in the fridge. Better finish that off with dinner!
Oh my goodness! I found you through Pink & Polka Dot and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to find you were a SoCo girl, like me! It seems like all my favorite cheap & chic bloggers are all in the south, which is great but, I’m really looking forward to reading from a North Cali girl’s perspective! Loving what I’ve read so far, can’t wait to read more!