On Monday June 1, 2015 Lavender Hill Hippie participated in Lavender 101 offered by the Ontario Lavender Association of which Lavender Hill Hippie is a Member 2015 – 2019 (when the membership fee became a financial hardship for us and we regrettably put our membership on hiatus.)
The Workshop took place at the OMAFRA Simcoe Research Station ~ a University of Guelph Research site.
The workshop was a great refresher on all things lavender ~from lavender types to how to grow lavender; from propagation to winter hardiness; from pest management to weed control; from harvest techniques to Agri-tourism…needless to say it was a fantastic day with like-minded producers, farmers and researchers.
Sean Westerveld (Ginseng and Medicinal Herbs Specialist) presented Lavender 101: Background on Lavender and was introduced by Ontario Lavender Association Vice-Chair Anita Buehner and owner of Bonnieheath Lavender
Dr. Melanie Filotas (Specialty Crops IPM Specialist with OMAFRA) presented a lecture on Lavender Pest Management.
The morning ended with a short walk out into the fields of the University of Guelph to their Lavender Trials area where we observed row cover trial, mulch trials vis-a-vie winter kill.
We returned to the classroom to a catered lunch as Sean Westerveld continued his presentation on propagation techniques and tips.
During the afternoon session we traveled to Apple Hill Lavender Farm and were hosted by Jan and Harold Shooley for a discussion on Argi-tourism, harvesting, cleaning, and distilling techniques.
The workshop wrapped up mid-afternoon and then I made the long drive north home to Lavender Hill.
The workshop was FANTASTIC! There was enough material in the day to carry over into a month of discussions ~ easily!
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