FRANKLIN — Like many crops across Indiana, lavender has faced its fair share of problems because of too much rain this spring.
Lavender is blooming at Dollie's Farm in Franklin.
"It still looks beautiful," described Tricia Wilson of Dollie's. "But when you're a farmer, and you know what to look for, and you start looking, you can see how much rain we've had."
If you run your hands through the lavender plants, you'll first be met with the fragrance. Within the plant, you'll see some discoloration, where the plant is turning black or gray from too much rain.
"Lavender hates water!" Wilson said. "Normally, this field would stay in a gorgeous bloom for weeks, but you can see how it's starting to turn some."
Going forward, she is hoping for plenty of sunshine to keep the blooms going as long as possible into the summer. While the forecast does call for some sun later this week, it brings another challenge: heat.
"I am concerned with it going to 100 degrees so quickly, after being cool and wet, because then we'll have to fight some mildew," Wilson continued.
It's been a challenging year for the lavender, but she is thankful for what she's produced so far.
"We have been very blessed that our field has withstood the elements that Mother Nature throws at it," Wilson stated.
Her lavender field is open for guests to pick their own lavender. She also picks and dries lavender for local businesses. You might be surprised that dried lavender can be used for more than just its fragrance.
"They purchase it for baked goods. We have tea-makers use it," Wilson listed. "The microbreweries, that lavender beer, it sounds really odd, but my goodness, it's really, really good!"
One local business that uses lavender from the farm is The Tea Room of Rustic Root in Beech Grove. The lavender goes into some of their sweet treats.
"Anytime that we make the lavender scones, people love them!" explained Jenny Wensel, while sprinkling lavender into her flour mixture in the kitchen.
"This one that I'm doing right now, I'm just doing plain lavender," she continued as she folded in more lavender into the dough. "I've also done blueberry lavender. I've also done a lemon lavender."
The treats are on the tea room's menu, and they are also sold occasionally at Dollie's Farm events. Wensel said tea room customers are often pleasantly surprised to hear the lavender in their dessert comes from a nearby farm.
At the farm, Wilson also has a variety of household and beauty products made from her lavender.
You can read more about Dollie's Farm, including how to visit to pick your own lavender, by clicking here.
