PALISADE, Colo. -- It’s hard to describe the beauty of a lavender field in full bloom. The aroma, the colors and the views of Grand Mesa at Sage Creations Farm is an experience unlike any other.
When Paola Legarre first moved to Palisade, Colo., she knew she wanted to start a farm. At the time, peaches and grapes were being grown commercially in the area, but Legarre wanted to grow an alternative crop. She just wasn’t sure what that crop would be.
“I saw lavender growing in somebody’s garden and I thought, ‘huh that’s really interesting.’ I bought like, 40 plants of one species - one variety - to see how they would do. The following year, I planted 1,500 plants and now we’re up to almost 6 acres of lavender,” says Legarre.
Legarre now grows a variety of fruit, herbs and flowers, but her specialty is lavender. They process everything on the farm from harvesting, to drying, to distilling for the essential oils.
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The farm is seasonally open to the public from April through September. Visitors are able to shop their retail store, which sells everything from lavender oil and wellness products to flower wreaths and culinary products. When the lavender is flowering, people can go and pick their own lavender bouquet. They also hold an annual lavender festival.
“It’s a great photo opportunity. People love to take photos and bring their family and their kids, or their significant others. We even had a few wedding proposals here in the lavender fields. It’s a special place. People like the be here during lavender bloom,” says Legarre.