LAKESIDE — Lavender is a unique plant with qualities that help it survive in Montana’s harsh climate and one farm in Lakeside has been successful in farming it for two decades.
“When I started this I wanted to be a little lady walking in my in my lavender garden. And I'm here this little lady walking in my lavender garden. So how lucky am I?” said Purple Mountain Lavender owner Deb Davis.
Davis of Purple Mountain Lavender is celebrating 20 years of her lavender farm in Lakeside.
“I think the most important part is to get in there and get your hands dirty and be with the soil and smell and different scents of the different varieties of lavender. It's really an amazing plant and you can do so much with it,” said Davis.
Purple Mountain Lavender is a working farm with over 1,500 lavender plants with 35 different varieties. Davis and her husband offer tours of the lavender farm, classes and a retail store.
“I think what inspires me is that the people when they do come up, they're friendly, they're positive, they love lavender. So socially, it's great to see them meet other people that are taking the tour as well or doing a class A chance for them to relax,” said Davis.
The tours offer a chance for people to see the beautiful lavender as well as to learn from a pro how to successfully grow lavender.
“So, you'll get a chance to smell those you get to see all the different colors. Lavenders have different colors, different lengths of the stems, different smells, and which one is the best depends on which one you like,” said Davis.
While farming the lavender only takes place during the summer, Davis uses the winter months to make products that she sells at the farm, online and to local vendors in Montana.
“And it's just been. It's just been a journey for us and it keeps going and it's great because when we open up during this short period of time I just meet marvelous people like you all and it's all good,” said Davis.
Purple Mountain Lavender is an environmentally friendly farm that does not irrigate because lavender is a drought-resistant plant, that uses no fertilizer and they use eco-friendly packaging for their products.
“Once you get it started. It's a very hardy plant. And it can take a lot of our winters and our heat, but it's just [that] agriculture is tough. I have so much respect for anybody who does farming,” said Davis.
Davis’s love for lavender is immense and her dedication to teaching others makes for a fun, educational Montana experience. And like any other Montanan, she encourages people to get outside.
“Get your hands dirty. Go out there and plant a flower you know do something, be outdoors and enjoy being here,” said Davis.
Visit https://purplemountainlavendermontana.com/ to learn more about Purple Mountain Lavender.
