Lavenders Blue - Hitchin Lavender Farm

I love lavender, we have lots in the garden and July is one of my favoyrite months when it all comes into bloom. We took a trip out at weekend to our local lavender farm, Hitchin Lavender, which is at Cadwell Farm, Ickleford, near Hitchin. 

There are over 12 acres of rows and rows of lavender of all different varieties. It is a lavender lover's paradise! You are able to walk amongst the miles of lavender rows and cut your own lavender, enough to fill a good medium size paper carry bag, to take home and this is included with the entrance fee. That was a nice surprise, I hadn't realised you could do this. 

As you can see it is a perfect place if like me, you enjoy taking a photo or two and I was kept quite busy as we waded through some of the lavender rows both with picking lavender to fill our two bags and taking a shot or two. 

As we wondered up the lavender slopes, there were some fantastic views across the lavender to the countryside and beyond. Every now and then there would be a little spark of colour where other wild flowers mingled amongst the blues of the lavender. 

As soon as you start walking through the lavender rows, you can hear they are a haven for wildlife. The sound of humming bees is loud and there were plenty of butterfles hovering around and enjoying the lavender too. 

The Victorians grew lavender in Hitchin and it was grown around this area for a few hundred years before that. Caldwell farm reintroduced lavender to Hitchin in 2000 and also has a 17th century barn in which dried lavender is stored. The farm offers a shop selling a range of lavender related gifts and also has a cafe serving light lunches, teas and cakes. There is also a nursery garden selling lavender and sunflower plants. We enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea before we set off to look around. There are lovely seating areas both inside and outside the barn. 

As we walked up to the top of the lavender field, there were stunning views, wheatfields at the top and far reaching country views all around. All our lavender picked we made our descent and passed a big area planted with sunflowers. They weren't quite blooming yet, but I imagine they are going to look really fabulous when they do. 

We passed different varieties of lavender as we carried on and at the bottom of the field I noticed a small wildflower meadow. There were two actually, one just finishing, which looked as though it had been stunning and another just out in full bloom. Very beautiful. I must remind myself to come earlier in the season next time. 

We made our way past some old and interesting farm machinery and buildings on our way back to the barn and enjoyed lunch and a look around the gift shop. There was an array of lavender gifts and I managed to buy a few presents for friends while we were there. All in all we had a great day out and had some nice things to bring home with us, not the least two bags brimming full of lavender. Watch this space on ideas what to do next with it...

I've made a note to myself that if I'm in the Hitchin vicinity and needing a refreshing cup of tea or lunch during August, I must pop back to see what those sunflowers are getting up to! Thinking of that I'm inspired to have some sunflowers growing in my own garden now too and I now know just the place to get some! 

July in the Garden

July is pretty spectacular in the garden this year. I've been really pleased with the new planting in the front garden where we had a big overgrown tree chopped down earlier in the year. We deliberately tried to choose plants that would come at their best during June and July and be a magnet for the butterflies and bees. We picked various colours of blue, lilacs, purples with a few pink and white plant varieties too. 

The weather conditions during the last year have been good for breeding butterflies and we seem to have literally created our very own butterfly garden, so I've been delighted. Planting out new plants and just seeing how they turn out and what unfolds can be so rewarding! 

Varying heights of purple wallflowers and different varieties of lavender. 

Butterfly enjoying the blue catmint. All the blue and purple plants have been covered in butterflies. Every time we come out of the house and walk past this area we are treated to dozens of butterflies fluttering up from the plants. It has been fascinating, you find yourself stopping and staring, it's not so good if you are in a rush! 

Enjoying some verbena, which is now out in full. 

Delphiniums are out at the back of the borders. 

Wallflowers, lobelia and geraniums make a good combination by the back patio. 

The water lilies are just beginning to flower now, the pond is full of their leaves and blooms. 

Bright pink carnations make a great colour combination with the bronze leaves and pink flowers of the heuchera. 

Sidalcea malviflora flowering in the back border. 

The tomatoe baskets are full of fruit and are ripening nice and early with all the hot sunshine we've been having. 

There are still plenty of foxgloves blooming and popping up in all different places. I love the colour combinations of this one. 

I've made a few pots full of wildflowers planted from seed and they are looking great at the moment, full of vibrant colours. Cornflowers are one of my favourites, I love this shade of blue. 

We have quite a few hebe plants flowering in pinks, blues and purples, another good one for the butterflies! 

There are lots of these little froglets around. We have to look out for them jumping into the house. The pond is full of frogs, when we have the heavy showers we've had recently they all seem to come out of the pond and jump across the garden. It's a mass exodus of frogs and quite entertaining and funny to watch! 

Ickworth House

Ickworth House is a Georgian Italianate palace with an impressive rotunda, which is situated just a few miles away from Bury St Edmunds amongst idyllic Suffolk countryside. It is owned by the National Trust and is well worth a visit. We stopped off here as we were passing through Bury St Edmunds, just planning to grab a bit of lunch and have a quick browse around the gardens. Things don't always go as planned though - sometimes if your lucky in a good way - it was just so beautiful here we stayed all afternoon! 

There are 70 acres of gardens to explore from pleasure grounds, informal woodland walks, a walled garden, Italianate garden to a Victorian stumpery. This is definitely a place to keep coming back to through all seasons, but these are some of the plants and views you may find if you visit during June. 

A cloud of gypsophilia spilling over a beautiful swathe of geraniums. 

The bees were out in force as the geraniums spread on and on throughout the borders creating beautiful hues of blue. 

There is a lake at the bottom of the walled garden, where yellow flag irises were out and waterlilies were out in force and about to bloom. Who needs to sit staring at Monet pictures? Just come here! 

A tortoiseshell butterfly enjoying the valerian. 

The pale globes of allium reach out and stand high above tbe catmint. 

Little clumps of centaurea montana spring up here and there. These cornflowers always remind me of childhood. I can remember being with my mum when I was little and we took some cuttings from a cottage garden to plant in our front garden. It always makes me remember the house I was born in and spent my early years in! 

The borders of the Italianate garden were covered in catmint, its aromatic grey leaves and lavender blooms creating a haven for the butterflies and bees. 

A cabbage white drinking up the nectar in the catmint. 

There were several wild meadow areas which were full of ox eye daisies, creating a mist of white amongst the grasses. I love a wildflower meadow. 

An unusual specimen of tree funghi growing! 

The Italianate gardens.

There is an enormous walled garden area, which has been planted full of wildflowers and also has allotment areas within it too. These had all just been seeded and planted up in May, so have yet to come. I could visualise that these will look fabulous in high summer and early autumn. That is my excuse to be returning soon I hope and then there is the house to explore... well maybe in winter...although I think this place might be pretty stunning in spring too! I think I will be back.