Blooms, Butterflies and Bees

I've had several questions about the varieties of lavender we're growing and also what plants are in the dye garden and what colors do they create.

Regarding the dye garden...that's a post (or two) for later in the summer when the flowers are more blooming and I'm less blooming (busy :-/).  I'm close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (and hoping it's not just a train heading my way ;-) and looking forward to thinking about more than how much weed-eater string I have left.  Ah, it's a glamorous life here ;-).  Remind me!!!

The lavender.  I decided to experiment with several varieties and see what did best in our particular area:  Grosso, Alba, Munstead, Jean Davis, Twickle, Edelweis, a couple different Spanish varieties that I can't remember the names, a couple Kews, Hidcote, Silver Edge and at something else I can never remember the name for, but resembles the Spanish varieties a bit.

My favorites so far are...well, they're all my favorites.  I didn't realize Jean Davis would look almost white and it's stunning.  The Grosso is HUGE, almost waist high and getting ready to bloom.  A friend brought me some Twickles from the end of the season that looked godawful.  She suggested I put them in the compost pile, but I stuck them in the ground and they look great this year.

The big plant with all the bees in the video is a Munstead.  That's also the host to the awesome spider nest from last year.  I thought I hadn't had good luck with those, but apparently I did.  Maybe when I bought the original plants, there was only one Munstead left - which would explain why it's by itself with no Munstead friends nearby making me think they'd not done well... 

The breeze tends to blow across the garden to the front field.  When the sun is hitting the blooms and foliage just so and the breeze is just so, I can smell the lavender all the way across to the driveway as I walk to the barn.  In the late afternoon and early evening, the light hits it just so and the bees are buzzing just so and the butterflies bounce around it just so...

It's worth every weed I have to pull.

Some quick snaps and short video taken with my iPhone last night.