Our Story/ Our Lavender
The farm barn store completed Spring 2023 with English lavender in bloom!
On a hot summer day we decided to have the grands photographed. Yes they were hot and tired. Our grands, Kelly, Gunner, Kerri, Liam and Katey.
Our Miss Bitsy. She is the queen of squirrel chasing and never leaves our side. Let's face it, she is the queen of the farm!
In the beginning......
We have lived on Red Fern Farm for over 30 years. The primary farm is 126 acres located in Lunenburg County, Virginia. We raised our children here and now are making great memories with our grandchildren. I have always enjoyed raising flowers and working around the yard and David has always loved the vastness of the land. The idea of planting lavender was definitely not immediately embraced by all, but it quickly became a labor of love. We have approximately 2500 plants now and expect to plant another 300 this year. My first love is in growing the lavender. Propagating, planting and watching it take to the Lunenburg soil and flourish. Second, is formulating products from the lavender. I am partial to the culinary side of things but I equally love to formulate body care and products for the home. We are learning every day and hope you will follow our journey. The summer of 2023 we opened the farm for visitors for the first time. Our intention is to open the farm during blooming season for all to enjoy each year.
2026 - I retired from my 39 year career as a Registered Nurse and now I am a full time Yaya and a part time shop keeper/lavender farmer. Our shop "The BARN Market and Kitchen" is now open early Spring through late fall Thursday/Friday and some Saturdays. Hours are posted on our social media. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you for following the journey,
Katrina and David Wells
Our Lavender
We grow both English (Lavandula Angustifolia) and French (Lavandula Intermedia) lavender at Red Fern Farm. The English lavenders are the first cultivars to bloom with purple peaking through late May. We grow Royal Velvet, Munstead, Lavance, Big Time Blue and Hidcote. In a few center rows, we grow Exceptional and Inspirational which are white lavenders. We are constantly replacing and adding new plants. Yes, it is a labor of love.
Our May bloom is quickly followed by the French lavenders. Grosso, Provence, Phenomenal and Sensational are a few of our June bloomers. Grosso and Phenomenal will grow to be larger plants and produce more lavender per plant than the English cultivars. Both are fantastic for distilling as they are higher in camphor content than English varieties, making the oil ideal for our products.
