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Festivalgoers walk through rows of lavender at SchoolHouse Farms during the farm's first lavender festival on Friday afternoon.
ROCKFORD - This weekend, the air just off State Route 117 near Rockford smells subtly sweet and floral with a hint of wood - the signature notes of lavender, a medicinal plant known for its aromatherapy and stress-relieving properties.
SchoolHouse Farms, an operation that specializes in sunflowers, popcorn, distillation, malting grains and now lavender, is hosting its inaugural lavender festival from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. today and tomorrow at 5468 Ross Road in Rockford.
The festival, which started on Friday, features an array of lavender-centered products, including honey, sugar scrubs, candles and essential oils; several local baked good vendors; lavender beer; and food trucks. Lavender lovers can even pick their own sprigs and create a bundle to cook with or dry to make sachets.
Festivalgoers walked through the lavender field taking selfies with the colorful plants at the SchoolHouse Farms lavender festival near Rockford.
Co-owners Vaughn Davis and Beth Cole started SchoolHouse Farms in 2016 because of their shared love of bird watching and Davis' proclivity for agriculture.
Although they planted 1,800 French and English lavender plugs, which are about the size of a pinky finger, in 2021, it wasn't until now that the lavender grew enough to warrant a days-long festival. The labor-intensive plant, which thrives in dry heat and is drought-tolerant, takes about three years to mature.
Further plantings occurred in the spring of 2024, and the operation now has 1/4 of an acre dedicated to the lavender. The farm has 565 total acres.
SchoolHouse Farms co-owners Vaughn Davis and Beth Cole planted roughly 1,800 lavender plugs in 2021.
Learning through trial and error, the duo learned the plants should be heavily spaced so any wind can help dry the plant.
"If you went out there now, you would see many are missing," Davis said. "We're just learning over time what works and what doesn't. We'll probably do a gravel bed and then a raised bed on top of that (so water can drain properly). This is grown on a highly tilled underground area, so the water gets out of there pretty quick and we just try to help that along. That's why I think that even though it's tiled, that low part still gets too wet. We're going to build that up because those mounds will dry out then and (the lavender) should thrive. It's one of the learning processes that we had to go through to get there."
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In those four years, Davis and Cole have learned the art of patience.
"I think really, that's a good virtue to have in any case, but really, lavender is a take-your-time, be-very-patient (type of plant)," Davis said. "Listen to what it's telling you."
Davis and Cole were looking for a plant that pairs nicely with sunflowers, which the business is known for. Cole has loved lavender for years and provided the encouragement as the business partners decided to try their hand at the purple, luscious plant.
"The lavender was my baby. I just always used it, with my kids and their baths," Cole said, adding she also uses the plant in lotions and oils. "Of course, we got into a kick with lavender lemonade and cocktails. Whatever we can do with it, we may as well try it."
Davis said he enjoys the plants because he can take a chair out and be lulled to sleep by the scent.
"I think it smells good and it's relaxing," he said. "You see pictures in Provence, the region in France, where sunflowers juxtapose with the lavender and it's so beautiful. We try to do that here."
The sunflowers aren't quite ready for the public because the spring rain delayed growth.
Today and Sunday, Vaughn will give a demonstration on how to properly clean popcorn and make lavender oil, a process he says is simple and extremely effective.
Vaughn makes the oil by boiling water and allowing the steam to go through the plant material, which then releases the oil. He condenses the water coming out of the oil and it separates due to gravity. He drains off the water and is left with the oil.
The business also sells sunflower and lavender honey from the six hives it receives from Beougher Honey Farms in Celina.
For an operation in northwest Ohio, Davis said he is proud of what they do and is excited for the festival to occur annually. He also thinks the public has responded well to the event.
"I think they're stunned that there's actually a lavender farm around here now, which is kind of cool. There are not very many. I think (people like) the relaxation properties of it and (can) just walk around."
Kaylee Fensler, 19, and Curtis Owens, 19, pick their own bundle of lavender at SchoolHouse Farms during the farm's first lavender festival on Friday afternoon.
Kaylee Fensler and Curtis Owens, both 19, of St. Marys, said they heard about the event from Facebook.
"I don't know a ton about it, but I've always loved the smell," Fensler said. "I just know it's mostly used in soaps, honey and (you) can eat it."
She plans to leave some sprigs in her room to enjoy its fragrant scent.
To harvest lavender, cut the stems down to the foliage. It is at its peak when the bottom flowers are just opening. Do not place the bouquet in water. Instead, place it in a vase and it will dry on its own. To dry lavender bouquets, hang them upside down, suspending them from a nail or string in a hot, dark, dry location and allow them to dry for 10-14 days, according to the Ohio State University Extension.
For more information, visit schoolhouse-farms.com.
A variety of lavender products like this lavandin hydrosol can be bought at the festival. Other lavender products that can be found at the farm include honey, sugar scrubs, candles and essential oils.
