Guide: Lavender
Lavender and lavandin are grown in Spain mainly for their essential oil, used in perfume and cosmetics. For a few weeks in summer, the rows of plants turn whole fields purple, with a strong scent and the steady hum of bees.
When
Flowering usually runs from late June to early August, with July the most typical month. It varies with altitude, variety and the warmth of spring and summer: higher or cooler areas bloom later. Then comes the harvest, which depends on each farmer and distillery and tends to fall between late July and August.
Where
Castilla-La Mancha has most of the crop, and the province of Guadalajara, with the Alcarria and Brihuega, has the largest area. There are also fields in Castilla y León (such as Tiedra in Valladolid or San Felices in Soria), in north-west Murcia (Moratalla), in Teruel, on the Toledo plain and on small farms in Catalonia.
How to tell the moment
First the plants send up green stems with closed spikes. When the spikes turn bluish the colour begins; half bloom looks like patchy purple, and at full bloom the rows are an even violet with bees everywhere. Harvesting is done by machine: within a few days a field can go from purple to rows of grey, cut stems.
How to see it
The fields are private, working farmland: do not walk into the plots or between the rows, and do not pick bunches. Many fields have bees at work, so move calmly. Park only in designated areas and never block farm tracks, which machinery needs. The best light is early morning or at sunset, and midday in July is very hot. Festival weekends get very busy.
Did you know?
Lavandin is a hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. It is sterile and sets no viable seed, so it is propagated from cuttings: that is why the fields are rows of practically identical plants. It yields more oil per hectare than true lavender.
Where we follow it
- Brihuega · GuadalajaraliveFrom mid-June to late July
- Moratalla · MurcialiveFrom early July to late July
- Tiedra · ValladolidliveFrom early July to late July
- El Romeral · ToledoFrom mid-June to late July
- San Felices · SoriaFrom early July to late July
- Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana · BarcelonaFrom mid-June to late July
Usual season: dates from past years, for guidance only. Each year it comes earlier or later depending on the weather.
Tell me when it blooms: lavender
We will email you when flowering starts. One email per season, no advertising.
Sources: castillalamancha.es · encastillalamancha.es · doi.org · turismocastillalamancha.es