Iris Lee Underwood has turned her hobby of growing lavender into a huge success.
On Friday and Saturday, July 20 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Underwood is hosting the Third Annual Yule Love It Lavender Festival: A Homegrown & Organic Celebration.
Located at 960 Yule Rd. in Addison Township, admission to the festival is $7, which includes parking, shuttle, speakers and demonstrations. Children 12 and under are free.
The two-day festival is filled with 15 different varieties of potted lavender along with fine hand-spun art, body care, organic produce and eggs, hands-on workshops, culinary demonstrations and refreshments.
At the festival there are numerous ways to get close to nature, such as visiting the 25-foot pergola and greenhouse, Granny’s quilts for snoozing and sniffing lavender in the shade, ‘stomp and smell? and other nature projects for children. One could also relax with a lavender massage or go for a garden stroll.
There will also be dulcimer and harp music, poetry readings and Iris? book signing for Growing Lavender & Other Poems.
Underwood learned that she had a love for lavender in 2004 while working on her first novel. She needed to learn about herbs for the story line of her book and joined a herb group.
‘I fell in love with the herb ladies. They would work in the garden for an hour or so and then use the herbs for teas, cooking and more,? said Underwood.
Underwood has been gardening most of her adult life and when she lost her first born daughter to drug addiction, gardening was a way to cope with her grief. Taking part in the herb group taught her a lot about lavender and life.
‘All of the uses and qualities of Lavender changed my life,? said Underwood. ‘Lavender actually has a chemical in it that calms. When you smell it you don’t get calm because it smells nice but because there is an actually chemical reaction.?
There are many different uses for lavender. Underwood talked about it’s soothing abilities, the oils it makes, how it is a natural flea repellant and how it’s good for your skin.
Ever since those beginning days in the herb garden Underwood has ‘had the scent of lavender stuck in her head.?
One day, when she was in her perennial garden she came to realize the her daughter had died seven years ago, but now she was really happy. ‘It wasn’t just because time is a healer, it was because lavender was one too,? said Underwood.
That day, she had an absolute clarity moment and looked across the two acres of land she never did anything to. ‘I had a vision of ribbons and ribbons of lavender,? she said.
Shortly after, one of the herb ladies came back from a vacation and showed Underwood a brochure of a lavender festival she attended while there. ‘It was just another dimension of my vision,? she said.
Underwood took a trip to see how they did their festivals and what drew people to them.
‘Most of the people there were women my age and they were having a wonderful time. I decided then that having my own festival would be a safe risk I needed to take,? said Underwood.
Underwood started to grow more and more lavender with her husband, Mel. He was a very reluctant farmer to begin with but without out him she could not have had her festivals or farm.
She and her eight aid advisors have been working hard to make the next festival a wonderful experience. It takes so much of their time and themselves that Underwood has not been able to write in five months.
‘I know that without the help of my husband and advisors, I would not be able to do this festival,? she said. ‘I do this festival to promote the awareness not just of the benefits of lavender but of herbs and nature reuniting with the simplicity and tranquility that nature has to add.?
‘I feel like this festival has to continue because lavender has helped heal me and I know it will help heal others as well,? she added.
For more information or a festival brochure ($1 off festival admission with brochure) visit www.yuleloveitlavender.com.