The Secret Lavender Garden is in Epsom, Surrey, and is the sister site to Mayfield Lavender Farm, which I visited last week. It is much smaller- 12 acres as opposed to Mayfield's 25 acres (although a member of staff did tell me it was 9 acres, so clarification is required!)
Whereas Mayfield comes across as more of a working farm, and is set in a square field, the Secret Lavender Garden has nooks and crannies, and other things to see besides lavender. All in all, it's a more intimate and varied experience.
As with Mayfield, it costs £7.50 per adult and £2.50 per child to enter the farm, and family tickets and concessions are available. If you want to visit Mayfield Lavender Farm (it's three miles away, in Banstead) on the same day, then it will cost you £12.50 per adult.
Here's a link to my Mayfield Lavender Farm blog:-
I was given a map upon entry- as you can see, mine was much used!
You enter via their Glasshouse Café, and to the left was the same kind of aluminum van that I found a few of in Mayfield Lavender Farm and, like those, it was closed.
I wonder what this one sells? I'm guessing ice cream and cold drinks.
Mayfield is only open from June to August, but the Secret Lavender Garden Glasshouse Café and Gift Shop are open all year round.
The Secret Lavender Garden prefers you to book your two hour time slot, as they don't allow more than 40 people to enter the fields at any one time. But we just rocked up (pre-planning to the nth degree is not always possible when using public transport).
Heading towards the Lookout, and there can't have been more than a dozen people wandering around the fields when we were there.
Lavender is not the only flower you will encounter, and here are some beautiful poppies.
Also, unlike Mayfield, you have some signposting (not that you can get lost at Mayfield- it is a square piece of land, after all!)
This field is named the Lavender Straits.
Do I have a favourite flower? I'm unsure; but I have to list sunflowers, forget-me-nots and poppies high up there and, as purple is my favourite colour, I'll add violets (and from now on lavender as well!)
We took the steps up to the Lookout and this spectacular photograph is taken through the wise old owl's all-seeing eyes.
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The Secret Lavender Garden call their daytime sessions "Lavender Daze."
The Secret Garden Telephone Directory, and who are you gonna be callin'?!😃
At the end of the Lavender Straits, and the lavender is harvested in August. They do ask you to check out their Facebook/ Instagram pages to see what stage the lavender's at in terms of blooming; to avoid disappointment.
Heading towards The Beehive, and the garden also offers a Golden Hour ticket, for £10, where you can relax after 6.30pm with a glass of lavender lemonade or prosecco.
The Beehive is not an actual working beehive (they do have those- behind a fence!- at Mayfield Lavender farm). Rather, it is educating you about bees. They do have free activity packs for children, including a Bee & Butterfly Guide.
Stare closely, and there are plenty of buzzy friends pollinating the lavender as you walk around...
This area is called the Meadow, and here I'm having a gawp over the fence...
The Pavilion is a cute little place in which to sit awhile. I love the butterfly on the rooftop!
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The seated area is called Twin Peaks, owing to its tented roof. I did read that you are welcome to picnic at this garden, but the SuperDean informed me that there was a sign on the tables saying no picnics are allowed...
A bit of research reveals that you can eat food purchased in their café here, but you can't bring your own food.
The view back down the Lavender Straits, and the Secret Lavender Garden offer events for you to visit: such as a Golden Hour sound bath; open-air cinema; sip and paint evenings, and gin and wine tasting.
I'm lovin' this huge wooden seat (I nicknamed it a luuurve seat- it's the perfect place to sit and have a cuddle...😁)
This is the Entry Door, and this is a SuperDean photograph (his snap came out better than mine!)
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©Dean P. Grant
Through the keyhole, overlooking Provence...
Each field grows a different variety of lavender. Folgate and Mailette are the two types of Lavandula Angustifolia (English Lavender) grown here, along with Grosso (a hybrid created through natural cross-pollination).
Can you spot the butterfly resting here? These rows were ALIVE with bees- I had to be careful to keep by big gob shut, so that nothing flew in there!!!!
There is a snail having a nap at the end of a sprig of lavender, right in the centre of the photo...
The lavender is distilled to create lavender oil and that, along with the lavender itself, is used in the many products available in their Gift Shop.
The back view of the richly painted Entry Door...
An Angel Bed. Serena is Mayfield's "sleep angel" mascot. Lavender is known for its relaxing and calming properties.
I saw a couple of these wooden animals dotted around. I'm not sure what it is- I think either a sheep or a dog...?
Into Sleepy Hollow we go, and the garden dates back to 2010 when Brendan Maye (the owner of Mayfield Lavender, whom the farm is named after) purchased this land, which was a neglected plant nursery...
Blackberry Way with the fruit growing on bushes to the left, and it took four years to restore the orchard and renovate the buildings and glasshouses...
Blackberry picking brings back happy childhood memories. I was brought up in Norfolk, so am used to rural activities!
Looking back down the lane, and this garden was full of hidden delights...
This shrubby area was ALIVE with fluttering butterflies- can you see the little fella resting on a leaf, at the top centre of the photo?
You will find both apple and plum trees in this garden...
Can you see the horses in the neighboring field? They're in the centre of the phot, and are kind of camouflaged!
A tented eating area, and Mayfield Lavender Farm predates this garden, dating form 2002, and open to the public from 2008. At the time Brendan Maye was working for the fine fragrance division of Wella, which owned ailing traditional English cosmetics and perfume brand Yardley...
A relaxation tent.
It was thought that showcasing the area's lavender fields would re-establish Yardley's reputation. After Yardley was bought by Proctor & Gamble, who had no interest in the lavender fields, Brendan personally took on the farm, running it alongside his wife, Lorna.
This area is Joey's Playground (Joey is a dog, and obviously their canine mascot!)
This field is called Tuscany.
The farm makes its money through its entrance fees, events, the Glasshouse Cafe and Gift Shop. The latter contains many lavender-based products; using distilled lavender oil- and lavender itself- grown onsite and at its larger sister farm.
As with Mayfield Lavender Farm, there is a selfie-station Love Bench...
I did see more wildlife in the Secret Lavender Garden as opposed to its big sister- there were definitely more butterflies.
This is called the Wedding Aisle...
I love the way the trees are casting shadows over the aisle.
Crossing over a bit of a wildness, and I would say the lavender garden is a totally different experience to the lavender farm. This place is more about expecting the unexpected...
This final, small field is called the Bird Sanctuary...
It was the most rustic-looking of the fields, and had more carved friends nestling between the rows...
I assume it's called a Bird Sanctuary as birds nestle in the trees (I could hear them but not necessarily see them!)
...But this flying bird on a stick is definitely of the plastic variety!
The lettering reads Lavender Theatre...
At the top of Tuscany, and this area of Surrey was once awash with lavender fields, but these had all but disappeared by the 20th century. It's great that they've been given an injection of life!
At the back of the Orchard, and the garden embraces organic farming methods. Its practices align with those used by lavender growers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and no chemical pesticides and fertilisers are used throughout the farm.
Another wooden friend, and this one's seated!
Lavender is quintessentially English, and has long been used as a remedy for various ailments, and as an insect repellant, deodorant and fragrance...
The view back down Tuscany, and lavender was carried in pomanders in the 17th century, as it was thought that it could ward off the plague. Herbalists prized the plant as a remedy for headaches, insomnia, burns and insect bites.
Hiding in a shady area, on what was a lovely summer's day.
Lavender has traditionally used in bags slipped between linen and clothing, to keep moths at bay.
It is also a very popular fragrance and indeed, the scent of the flower gently permeates the air as you walk around here...
The Room With A View.
Queen Elizabeth I insisted that her residences were filled with the fragrance of lavender, and Queen Victoria absolutely adored it; with this love sparking an ongoing trend. She had fresh sprigs strewn across her palace floors, enjoyed lavender tea, and even preferred lavender jelly to mint sauce on her lamb!
...You can pop the question in here if you like...
Leaving the farm, and this is the final view across to the orchard...
Overlooking the Glasshouse Café's outdoor seating area. I didn't take any photos inside the café as it looked rather busy.
They have a nursery here, and you can purchase lavender, along with other plants...
Their shop is fantastic, and carries goods to suit all pockets, such as these traditional lavender bags...
This cabinet contains foodstuffs: we bought orange & lavender marmalade; plum & lavender jam; lavender shortbread biscuits, and lavender syrup (you can add this to lemonade or cooking, but I'll probably add it to prosecco!😁)
I will make a point of visiting both Mayfield Lavender Farm and the Secret Lavender Garden once a year, when the lavender is in full bloom.
Until then,
TTFN
The Miss Elaineous
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