Overview of our Lavender Field & Gardens

The Estate property is now home to six gardens that represent unique design themes intended to complement the natural beauty and elements that surround the area allocated to the garden. Strategically designed and planted our gardens do gracefully appear as seemingly random drifts of native grasses, wildflowers and trees.

Matanzas Creek Winery's lavender holdings consist of a one-acre plot with over 4500 lavender plants (shrubs) that annually produce approximately two million stems of lavender per year. The original plot was planted in 1991 and the average production life of the plants is 10 years. As with wine, lavender is well suited to the Estate's climate and well-drained sandy, loamy and stony soils. Also similar to winegrowing, drainage is an essential element to the successful production of lavender. Matanzas Creek Winery's terraced lavender field supports this critical drainage by moving water away from the roots of the plants. Although lavender is inherently suited to the warmer Mediterranean climates, it will tolerate colder, wetter weather as long as excellent drainage is maintained.

Matanzas Creek Winery's lavender plants bloom in June and are harvested in late June or early July, depending upon the weather. Warmer than average June weather typically results in an early lavender harvest. The lavender is pruned back by 1/3 to woody balls each harvest to encourage future bloom. Like wine, pruning is necessary for healthy, vivacious plants. Two species of lavender are grown at Matanzas Creek Winery- Provence & Grosso. Provence is grown for culinary use and Grosso for bath and home products.

Provence lavender (lavandula x intermedia ‘Provence') is milder in aroma and offers sweeter more herbaceous flavors. Provence possesses a lighter shade of violet flowers and lighter gray foliage.

Grosso lavender (Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso') was named after Pierre Grosso who first selected this species of lavender. It features spicier, stronger and more robust flavors and is recognized for the vibrant purple-violet flower color and darker gray-green foliage. It is more suitable for home, bath and medicinal uses.

Matanzas Creek is currently developing a Lavender Educational Garden which will feature as many species of lavender as can be located by the Estate's lavender and garden team.