All Photos Credit of Gay Johnson.
Jardin du Soleil Lavender
# 4 on Farm Tour Map
Farm Tour Bus Route B
3932 Sequim-Dungeness
Way
Sequim, WA 98382
(360) 582-1185
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All Photos Credit of Gay Johnson. |
Jardin du Soleil welcomes you to a ‘celebration of lavender’. Enjoy fragrant purple vistas, magical gardens surrounding the 1880 Victorian home, lively music and great food. Relax with a glass of local wine and as always, lavender ice cream! Farm owner, Randy Nicholson, will share with you the farm’s history and how we distill our certified-organic lavender into essential oil with our state of the art distillation system. Cut your own fragrant lavender bouquet, take home your favorite plant and find the perfect gift of lavender in our distinctive gift shop.
Ample Parking.
Sun-Fed Land and Lavender
Story by Betty Oppenheimer
What
sets Pam and Randy Nicholson’s Jardin du Soleil apart is
its 10+ acres of classic pastoral beauty, isolation from residential
development, and rigid adherence to USDA regulations for organic
certifications for growing lavender and producing a line
of private
label products.
“Lavender doesn’t grow as well anywhere else in the United States,” said Randy.
Pam and Randy have built on what Mother Nature offers.
Known for the bucolic grounds that they have painstakingly sculpted into walking paths, seating areas and outdoor garden rooms, Jardin du Soleil – the “Garden of the Sun” - is located on some of Sequim’s prime, historic dairy land. And although the 1880 Victorian farmhouse is off limits to visitors, the magical gardens that surround the house are open and inviting.
“This place was a dairy farm through the 1970’s,” explained Pam. “The great-great-granddaughter of a Mr. Thompson, the man who built the house, came to see us. She told us that he had come from Nova Scotia through the Isthmus of Panama to Victoria, and was paddles by canoe across the Strait of Juan de Fuca by Native Americans. He started this farm and built this house. We’ve had many visitors who tell us that they worked here as young people. There’s a real piece of Sequim history in this place.”
The farm is protected from encroaching development by an 88-acre parcel of trust land to the north, 40 acres of which is currently being farmed by Nash’s Organic Produce. Large, agriculturally-zoned plots border the other three sides of the farm.
“Our location will always have pastoral value, and it’s the reason that many people come here,” said Pam.
The Nicholsons have planted more than 10,000 lavender plants since purchasing their property in 1998, most of which are distilled on-site by Randy into the essential oil for which they have become known. Each variety – Grosso, Super, Hidcote and a variety of Angustifolias - is distilled individually, so that customers can select the scent that most appeals to them.
“We offer sample vials, and people get an opportunity to decide what they want,” said Randy of their retail and wholesale customers, who shop on site, by phone and over the Internet for oil, lavender and the unique variety of products which Pam focuses on developing and continuously updating.
“Being certified organic is very important to our customers,” said Randy, adding that many wholesale customers ask for copies of their annual certification reports. “It’s not simply a matter of avoiding herbicides,” he explained. “We have to comply with the US Department of Agriculture’s Organic Program. We’re inspected annually by the Washington Department of Agriculture. It does truly add value – many of our customers insist on it.”
Pam and Randy had no intention of farming lavender when they wandered into Sequim looking to purchase a nursery. Pam, a trained Master Gardener, was ready to leave the dry, hot climate of Las Vegas where she had worked in banking for many years. While in Sequim, they met Mike Reichner, owner of Purple Haze Lavender Farm, and toured his beautifully landscaped farm at the east end of town. Reichner suggested that with her experience, she could successfully become a lavender farmer. They found the farm for sale, and took the plunge.
“If Mike hadn’t done what he did, we wouldn’t have attempted to do what we’ve done,” said Randy, who still works one week per month as a research hydrologist for the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas.
Even with Sequim’s many farms, there’s plenty of business for everyone. Pam and Randy do so much business in lavender bud and bundles that they have to purchase additional inventory from other local farmers. While Randy manages the distillation process, Pam handles the business end of things – marketing, product development and managing employees, including a fulltime farm foreman and retail sales person. During the height of the season, they employ 8 people.
“We’ve outgrown ourselves,” she said, amazed at how popular a destination and how many customers return by phone or Internet. “We don’t really know what’s next. We’ve purchased an additional 4 acres – one for the new parking field, and one beyond that, which we can plant or build on. We’re trying to determine what the next phase for our business holds.”
In the meanwhile, they’re planning for another lavender season, including the festival, the annual conference and the harvest. Then there’s distillation, product manufacturing and involvement with the Sequim Lavender Growers Association, where Pam serves and treasurer and liaison to the Sequim-Dungeness Chamber of Commerce. It’s a busy, fragrant, rewarding life.