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Texas Agriculture Archive

June 6, 2003

The Lure of Lavender

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

If you were looking for an ideal crop for the Texas Hill Country—one that can withstand frost, drought, flood, deer and insects, and favors sorry soil—you'd be hard pressed to find one. But Robb Kendrick and his wife Jeannie of Blanco believe they have. Last year, their lavender crop endured everything Mother Nature had to throw at it. To them, lavender makes a lot of sense, scents and cents.

"We had a dry winter, dry spring, a late freeze, grasshoppers, and a flood at the end of June. Thirty inches plus," says Robb. "We did lose about 600 plants that were washed out, but the remaining crop made it."

This year's lavender crop is lush and in full bloom this month. The Kendricks are busy hand cutting and making twice-a-week deliveries of fresh, fragrant lavender to H-E-B's Central Market in Austin and florists in Austin and San Antonio. And on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., through June 22 (weekdays by appointment only for groups), Hill Country Lavender welcomes lavender lovers wanting to snip their own balmy blooms for $4 a bunch, which consists of about 30 or 35 stems from a plant that produces about 300 stems.

"The lavender requires very little care, and best of all, people pay us to let them harvest it," says Jeannie.

A second round of blooms occurs in the fall, with more commercial cutting and people arriving to pick for pleasure at that time.

"We had 500 people on the last day of our fall season last year," notes Robb.

At the end of the spring and fall seasons, remaining lavender stems are snipped, bunched and hung up to dry. The couple then sells dried lavender by the ounce ($2) and by the pound ($32), along with other lavender products online at: www.hillcountrylav-ender.com.

Lavender idea takes root

In 1997, Robb, a photographer for National Geographic, traveled to Southern France for a photo shoot involving perfume-making. He was fascinated with the Valensole Plateau region of Provence, where the hillsides are covered with redolent rows of lavender bushes.

Convinced that the soil and climate were much like that of the Texas Hill Country, when he returned to his 225-acre farm between Blanco and Stonewall, he began experimenting with different types of lavender.

"It was a good time to do the test. We had all those successive days of 100-plus degree weather," Robb recalls.

The trials revealed that lavandula intermedia, the same variety he saw in Provence, was best suited for the Hill Country. So with advice from farmer friends in France, Robb and Jeannie planted 2,000 plants on two acres in 1999. Jeannie admits she was a bit skeptical at first, but the crop thrived, and the next year they added another 4,500 plants.

"We are doing this on a small scale, just four-and-a-half acres right now," says Robb, who grew up near Hereford. "That experience, along with the challenges last year, made us really appreciate what big producers do. It was a very emotionally draining year last year. If we were depending on that for our entire livelihood like some farmers, it would really hurt."

Robb suggests the cost of planting lavender is another advantage, compared to other commercial crops.

"Other than our time, the cost to plant is about $1,000 acre for plants and with irrigation, maybe $1,500. But these plants can live and produce for 20 to 25 years. We recovered our investment the first year. There aren't too many agricultural crops that allow you to do that," he observes.

In the spring of 2001, the couple harvested their first batch of lavender from the 2,000 original plants. In 2002, another 4,500 plants bloomed.

"We had 50 people a day for four or five Saturdays the first year. Each weekend, the crowd got bigger. It grew by word of mouth. Then we got a matching grant from TDA (Texas Department of Agriculture) for marketing," says Jeannie.

Lavender cultivation

According to Robb, lavender plants reach 32 inches in diameter. His are planted 3 feet apart in rows 6 feet apart.

Lavender, an evergreen herb, likes well-drained soil with an alkalinity of 6.0 to 8.0. It does best on slightly sloping ground.

"The most common mistake gardeners make with lavender is to give it too much water. Lavender does not like to have its feet wet. Err on the side of too little water, rather than too much, and when you water do not give the plants a soaking," he advises.

"I cut it back at the end of the season, like salvia," Robb continues. "I cut back 60 percent and leave 30 to 50 percent for the second bloom. I cut it back again, about 35 percent, in November, so it will put on more flowers and keep a nice shape. I run a sweep through the rows for weed control. And we hand weed on occasions. We are organic."

On occasions, the Kendricks hold seminars to help other growers get started, and to promote lavender as an agricultural crop, which they believe will create more demand.

"We don't feel threatened by the competition. In fact, we think it would be great if we could get something going like the Texas vineyard trail, where people could travel from Dallas or Houston, and have several opportunities to find lavender," says Robb, adding that there are only about 300 acres of commercial lavender grown nationwide.