Head down Thornton Road in Ferndale during the summer months and you might be accompanied by the fragrant scent of lavender meandering in the breeze. Rows of purple and pink, English and French lavender are grown in several varieties each year at Red Barn Lavender. Owners Bridget Boylan and Joe Jowdy, along with Joe’s sister Georgette, enjoy managing the farm and producing one-of-a-kind products available year-round.
“Three years ago, my boyfriend Joseph and I were looking for a farm property,” Bridget shares. “My dad’s from Ireland. He grew up on a dairy farm, so I wanted to live on a farm and [Joe] wanted property.”
Bridget and Joe’s realtor called with a listing she thought might be of interest to the ambitious couple. “She said, ‘You guys might like this. You said you wanted a barn and you said you wanted about five acres and, well — it’s a lavender farm!’” For Bridget, the idea of living on a lavender farm had been previously evoked while visiting lavender fields in Provence, France. “Actually going to France and seeing lavender fields was just amazing.”
Having learned the required techniques and care from the previous farm owners, it became obvious that Bridget and Joe would need more help. They reached out to Joe’s sister Georgette who was working at a dairy sanctuary on the East Coast. Here, calves not selected for milk production were cared for, raised and re-homed. Georgette agreed to move and help out with the lavender farm if she could bring a few of the calves with her. Georgette’s sanctuary cows can now be seen happily resting behind the lavender fields.
For Bridget, owning Red Barn Lavender is a compliment to her work as a Five Element acupuncturist where she helps people create change within themselves. “People come to me when they are stuck, moving in a different direction, and they are not sure where to go,” Bridget shares. She helps her clients find the direction they seek. Within her practice, she incorporates the use of essential oils from the lavender grown and distilled on her property.
Bridget’s interest and experience with essential oils have also led to the expansion of available products made from the lavender on the farm. “Because I have a lot of education in essential oils and combining them, we’ve got about double the products that [the previous owners] had and we’ve changed some of the formulations,” Bridget explains. “We’re mainly using organic ingredients, unrefined shea butter, organic cocoa butter — so we’ve just moved it into a more organic company, just trying to do everything in the best way for the consumer.”
For Bridget, the lavender farm and its guests offer endless ideas. From facial care products inspired by customer requests to teas, coffees and spices created out of Bridget’s passion for all things culinary, new products are continually in evolution. “We got into the culinary products because I love cooking,” Bridget shares. “So we’ve got a lavender coffee, we’ve got culinary lavender, we’ve got lavender pepper that has fennel in it. We have lavender sugar. I just started doing some Mediterranean blends and Tuscan blends with the lavender, so there’s just so many things we can do.”
Weekends during the summer, visitors can cut their own lavender from the fields and enjoy a cold cup of lavender lemonade sold at the shop in the barn. At the shop, Bridget also offers pints of Mallard lavender chocolate ice-cream for sale as well as a large array of her lavender products. Lotions, lip balms, face scrubs and eye creams can be purchased as well. Collages, clocks and paintings created by local artists decorate the walls, and Joe’s fine art photographs are on display, too. “People come here and they are so happy to be here,” Bridget shares. “And that’s what we want, for people to relax, have fun and be kind of in that space of not worrying about anything.”
Red Barn Lavender is open to the public Friday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. June through August, depending on the growing season. The Red Barn Lavender store can be visited off season by request. Call ahead for this season’s hours. Red Barn Lavender products can also be purchased at the Bellingham Farmers Market or online at www.redbarnlavender.com.
And the fun doesn’t stop after summer’s end. Bridget plans to offer wreath-making classes in November as well as guest writer and artist workshops in the Glass House located on the farm.
Red Barn Lavender
3106 Thornton Road
Ferndale, WA
360-393-7057
