Windsong Farm is a lavender producing farm located in Couridjah, just 2 kilometres from the Heritage Steam Museum in Thirlmere, New South Wales, 15 minutes from Picton, and one hour from Sydney.
We're open for personal Farm Visits on Sundays from the beginning of November to the end of February .
Open times are 10.00am to 4.00pm but ring if you'd like to visit at other times.
Bus tours, please call us to make arrangements for a tour and we can organise refreshments for your travellers.
(Click map for larger version)
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At Windsong Lavender Farm we grow particular varieties of lavender which is distilled into essential oil at the end of the summer harvest.
Our chemical free lavender essential oil is marketed to visitors, to smaller farms which do not produce enough for their own needs, and to soap and cosmetic makers.
We also grow “Herrington” heritage lavender which is used in the Windsong product range of dried stripped lavender, dried and fresh bunches. Our dried lavender is suitable for incorporating into beautiful bars of soap.
The product range covers soaps ( including hand painted) lavender skin care, lavender sachets of varying styles, lavender foot care creams and seasonal jams from fruit grown on the farm.
This summer we will be adding Windsong Honey to our range, made from bee hives on the property. Windsong products may vary according to the season.
Windsong Farm began in November 1997. The first 1000 plants included 12 varieties of the old English type, and 2 varieties of true English type. Information on growing was not readily available at that time, so we were very lucky we had no major catastrophes.
Lavender bushes can live to 10 years old, but ours appeared to have reached their “use by” date in 7 years. Contrary to some published literature lavender does need water. It is a drought tolerant plant, but it does need a really good watering at least once a month, or even weekly, in hot and dry conditions.Over the past 2 years, we have begun an extensive replanting. The older plants have been removed and replanted with an Australian bred cultivar, which will stand up to our growing conditions much better.
We have now approximately 4000 plants in the ground, and more ground is being prepared for another 4000 plants this spring and summer 2010
The true English plants have not thrived as well as expected, probably because the altitude above sea-level is only 300 metres and the winter is not cold enough. These will not be replaced.
Windsong Farm won second prize, awarded by the Australian Lavender Industry, in the Angustifolia section at the Royal Canberra Show in 2002 for an essential oil distilled on the property.
We specialise in growing a Heritage lavender, “Herrington”, which was discovered growing in an old garden in Mittagong, New South Wales Southern Highlands, almost 70 years after it was first planted.The original plant was brought to Australia from England, and letters from the original garden owner to his daughter, suggest it is from the Potter & Moore Estates.
Our aim is to preserve this cultivar for future generations.
Windsong Farm has a small retail outlet, affectionately named “The Cupboard” selling our beautiful lavender products.
All our lavender bags, made on the property, are filled with Heritage lavender, carry the Windsong brand.
We have two ranges of skin care products made especially for us using oil distilled on farm and are branded Yarrabee Gardens and Windsong Farm
Not all our visitors are human. The birdlife visiting during the year
is amazing. Ducks arrive after a rain downpour. The Ibis know when feed is available. Did you know the Blue Crane squarks like a wounded donkey just before landing, or perhaps it is warning for landing clearance. The double barred and red browed finches (pictured here) and blue wrens are here all year round.
In August 2010 I attended a one day course at Delaware State University in Delaware USA with Sandy Jacobsen, a long time friend and Professor Tucker's assistant and usually too busy to participate in workshops.
The course was Microscopic Examination of Herbs and organized by Professsor Arthur Tucker. We studied lavenders, sage and oregano. Parts of the plants were magnified 500 times. Absolutely amazing to see. Five students from the Tai Sophia Institute for the Healing Arts and lecturer, Dr. Andrew Pengelly came from Maryland USA to do the course as well.
Six years ago I did a course in Herbarium Specimen Mounting at the Delaware University. I was part of a team cleaning botanical specimens collected in the early 1800's. They were still in beautiful condition with almost no broken parts. Time had done more damage to the papers the specimens were mounted on, and these needed to be cleaned and the plant specimens remounted onto new chemical free storagepapers. How foresighted were the collectors of that time to save botanical specimens for future generations.
We welcome visitors during the summer months when the flowers reach their peak, but we would appreciate you advising us you are coming.
Summer is our very busy time of the year.
Lavender needs to be harvested at exactly the right time to obtain premium quality.
We pride ourselves on the quality of our products and thank you for your understanding if all products are not always available.
Our front paddock has been replanted as a Unicursal Maze or Labyrinth with 1400 lavender bushes.
It is 400 metres from the entry to the centre.I haven’t decided what to have as an “end of journey” centerpiece yet. The design had to fit into the area we had available.
We ended up with a five circuit maze, altered it slightly until it was an oblong, and measuring 22 metres by 35 metres.
We still have enough room left over to park 6 cars inside the gate facing the maze.
A unicursal maze has only one path to the centre, the return out is by the same path.Their origins date from pagan times.
In medieval times they were created in Cathedrals using tiles on the floor, and many still exist.
Come and walk the maze.
When you are buying lavender plants for your home garden, select your plants from a reputable nursery when the plants are in flower. December is a good time. You will be able to choose the colour of the flowers and also check the height the plant will possibly achieve.
Don't become too positive about the name of the lavender plant. Many times nurseries have been known to have the wrong ticket in the pot. Lavenders do not like wet feet. Water until they are established, then a good water once a week will probably suffice. Lavenders are drought tolerant not drought resistant. No plant can live without a good drink. If the weather is abnormally hot and dry your plants may need to be watered twice a week. If you are thinking about growing lavender commercially please contact me for the name of a reputable supplier
Don't forget, we also supply to the wholesale and crafts trade.