The Lavender Patch

A unique lavender garden, set in rural Derbyshire

Pick your own lavender, buy ready-picked or simply enjoy the sights and smells of the lavender garden.

My family and I moved to Hall Croft Farm in 2002 and have spent the last few years lovingly restoring it. Last year I turned my attention to the garden which, at the time, was just a lawn with lots of nettles, weeds and visiting rabbits.

Inspired by a visit to a Lavender Garden in the North of England, I persuaded my husband that he wouldn't miss such a small amount of field, and got planting before he had chance to change his mind. I promised him that the result would calm and soothe his senses after a very long day on the combine and that is how the Lavender Patch came to be.

The Lavender Patch offers the chance to experience the sight and smell of a field dedicated to lavender. The flowers attract a wide variety of butterflies and bees and we have our own hive to collect the sumptuous honey they produce. The Lavender Patch is ideal for disabled visitors as the paths between the lavender are broad and flat, and there is wheelchair access into the Garden Room and designated parking areas adjacent to the entrance for ease of access.

I have also created a raised sensory border in the middle of the lavender garden which can be easily enjoyed through sight, smell and touch - when I planted this bed, I was particularly mindful of visitors with differing needs.

Visitors to the garden can wander through half an acre of lavender and pick their own large bunches of one of 6 different lavender varieties. Alternatively, you can purchase fresh or dried hand-cut bunches from the Garden Room..

Refreshments are served next to the Garden Room  which, in addition to ready-picked fresh and dried lavender, offers an array of lavender plants, gifts, lavender products  and growing herbs.

www.thelavenderpatch.com