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The 2024 Garden Year

January 19, 2024 January Our year started with snow, ice and frigid temperatures in mid-January. Our temperatures stayed below freezing for almost a week. I think it was the most consistent cold that we've experienced since moving here. Fortunately, it was a dry snow so there wasn't too much damage. Once again, we almost lost the azara and I'm afraid there would have been some breakage if I had not kept knocking the ice off. February 14, 2024 February In past years, it seems that inclement weather seems to hit around Michael's birthday in mid-February. After the January snow and ice, this month was actually quite tame. Nothing exciting to report - mostly birdwatching . Early flowers like hellebores, cyclamen and crocus begin to bloom in mid month. March 3, 2024 March I got into a walking routine which I'm happy to report I am continuing this year. You get to the point where you feel guilty if you miss a day. I do miss days occasionally but I'm learning that ...
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The Lavender of Sequim - a book review



The Lavender of Sequim: America's Provence by Bonnie Louise Gillis, published by Books Out Of The Blue, 2019.

Since moving here, I have visited tulip farms, rose, lily, iris and peony gardens but I have yet to see a lavender farm although I have seen signs for them. I have also not ventured any further north than Woodland, Washington although I hope to remedy that soon. 

I have heard of Sequim, Washington because I have a co-worker who once lived there. It is located in the northwest corner of Washington (northeast of Seattle). The Olympic mountains shields the town from getting rainfall and their average is about 12 inches per year.  Early settlers to the area knew they had to do something so they embarked on an ambitious irrigation project to bring water to their town. It worked and they still have an Irrigation Festival every year to celebrate that achievement. Cattle farming became the main economic booster for the next century. In the 1990s, developers began buying property and cattle farms diminished. Thus a new crop and money maker was introduced - lavender.

Part history, part travelogue with a bit of gardening and recipes, this little book is fun to browse through.  It briefly covers the history of Sequim and the development of lavender farms (there are at least a dozen in the town). It also covers the various types of lavender and how to grow and harvest them. There is a resource list and a list of places to visit while in Sequim. The highlight of the book are the stunning photos by Roger Mosley. There are also some wonderful historic photos of Sequim taken during the irrigation development. 





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. AlisonApril 5, 2019 at 10:24 PM

    There is a lavender festival in the Sequim area every year, but the traffic is horrendous. You could come up to the Olympic Peninsula for it and stay in the area, it's very picturesque, and Far Reaches Farm is nearby. Does the book tell you how to pronounce Sequim?

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    1. Phillip OliverApril 6, 2019 at 8:18 AM

      Alison, the book does not mention how to pronounce it. My co-worker says it is "SKWIM" so the "Q" sounds like "K".

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowApril 6, 2019 at 4:09 AM

    I have always seen pictures like this of lavender farms in France. It is nice to know that there is lavender being grown here in the states. I would love to see such a sight.

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  3. Hoover BooApril 6, 2019 at 8:43 AM

    12 inches a year of rain is slightly less than our average. An interesting place to garden. Must be very grey in the fall and winter--with none of the moisture--I wonder what that is like.

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