Provençal Lavender
Lavender or Lavendin
Above all, Lavender and Provence are almost synonymous! That heady scent which wafts through the air between mid-June and late July is an experience to savour, quite literally!
Lavandin and Lavande Fine
At low altitudes the beautiful purple Lavender fields you see are Lavandin, a hybrid which grows well in these areas. Much of the ‘Lavender’ you come across in the souvenir shops in the Luberon, is of this variety. The most expensive and highly scented variety, lavande fine, is grown on higher ground around Sault and the slopes of Mont Ventoux.
This highly prized lavender carries its own AOC status like good wine and its essence is used in the perfume industry in Grasse. Moreover, traditionally used in soap production, lavender was famously prized by the Romans for bathing. This has come down to us as the modern French verb to wash, laver, is from the Latin lavare.