Over 35 years ago my parents purchased 40 acres of undeveloped land in Sequim, Washington with the dream of one day retiring there. Over the years they sold off parcels to put their 5 children thru school, ending up with 5 acres of their own. My family would come up every weekend and many vacations to work on the property. It took many years and a lot of hard work but eventually the cabin/barn was finished and we had put in the pond. In 1994 my parents finally retired and sold our family home in West Seattle and moved to Sequim. They lived in the cabin for one year while they built their dream house across the pond.
Lavender in Bloom
My mom ~ an avid gardener wanted to look out her front windows to a sea of blooming lavender, so in 1995 they started planting. In 1996 my parents joined the Sequim Lavender Growers Association and we’ve been members ever since. Each year my parents would have a booth at the Lavender Festival Street Fair and sell her Lemon Lavender Poundcake mix and her Chocolate Lavender Torte, but my mom loved to have people come to the farm so they decided to build a gift shop on the property. She named it the Garden Shed and we sell not only our lavender products but gardening items and as she calls it “garden whimsy”. Our farm now has over 1500 lavender plants of several varieties mainly Grosso, Provence, Super, Royal Velvet and our newest variety, Folgate.
About 8 years ago I started making products for the shop using my parents lavender. I wanted to make things that people could use every day. I started off developing my Lemon Lavender Bug Repellant, an all natural way to keep mosquitoes away. I gave samples to all our friends and family and they loved it, now it flies off the shelves. That got me going and now we have a full line of spices, teas, mixes, lotions, and bath products. Our most popular items include my mom’s Lemon Lavender Poundcake Mix, our Lemon Lavender Bug Repellant, our Garlic Lavender Pepper, and our Lavender Mint Tea.
Mamma duck and chicks
About seven years ago my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and as it progressed my parents decided that they needed to be closer to town and sell the farm. My husband Jeff also decided that we would have to purchase it; we couldn’t imagine anyone else owning this property that had been in the family for so long. Jeff put in for a transfer at his job and we sold our home in Bellevue, Washington and moved to the country along with our daughters Livie and Tilly. It’s been quite a change but well worth it. We are now the only second generation lavender farm in Sequim. My parents still come up to the farm everyday and give us pointers. We strive to keep my parents traditions going and our dreams for expansion are great. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll be a third generation lavender farm!
If you’re ever in the area feel free to stop in and say hello. You’re welcome to sit by the pond and read a book, wander thru the lavender field or stroll thru our gift shop. Bring a picnic and stay a while. If you’d like to stay in the cabin, give us a call or send us an e-mail and we’ll check our availability. We hope to see you soon.
Jeff and Amy Lundstrom