Unique crop draws visitors from all around
* Third in a 4-part series
Yellow Creek – When Sue and Ken Huskey discovered Graham County, they not only discovered a new place to call home, but they discovered a new calling.
They heard the distant mountain breeze with a faint smell of lavender blossoms waiting to be planted and harvested. It was there – hidden among the three acres of property they purchased, disguised as a jungle of vines and undergrowth – they founded Marie’s Lavender Farm.
“It took me a while to convince Ken that lavender would grow here in the mountains,” Sue recalled.
The Huskey’s purchased the property in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2006 that they were able to move to Graham County. The Huskeys began their move and spent the next two years getting the property cleared and ready for planting.
The first year was experimental: 80 lavender plants weathered the climate fine, so the next season, they set out 300.
Four years later and Marie’s Lavender Farm is flourishing. The different varieties of lavender are being harvested and hung to dry.
The farm now includes several varieties of lavender, including White English, Pink English, a culinary lavender known as Provence, as well as two varieties that are patented: Sensational and Phenomenal. There are other herbs such as thyme, basil and several varieties of mint, and visitors are welcomed to cut their own flowers for arrangements of Zinnias, Cosmos and Sunflowers, and other flowers that are in season.
Lavender farming has been a dream come true for Sue. The Huskey’s have no formal training in the lavender industry. Sue remembers her father planting a garden and giving her seeds to plant. She recalls the fascination and excitement of placing the seeds in the earth and waiting for the harvest.
The couple have learned the business from the ground up. They share a love for the farming and satisfaction that comes from spending their time outdoors enjoying neighbors stopping by, visitors strolling through the garden, and kids casting their fishing lines in the stream that flows along the garden.
One trip to the lavender farm in the Yellow Creek community – taking in the smell of light floral and seeing the landscape of purple waves – and you are sure to return. Lavender has a distinct aroma that you will recognize instantly. It has a light floral scent without overwhelming your senses. The smell is light and fresh, and invites a calmness which enables lavender to be used as a stress-reducing scent that has been studied for its anxiety-reducing effects and treatments for neurological disorders.
A small gift shop offers aromatherapy eye pillows, neck wraps and pillow inserts, as well as honey, homemade soap and other items that are sure to be of interest.