Inside Sequim’s Jardin du Soleil: An Organic Lavender Oasis on the Olympic Peninsula

It’s all things lavender this month as the Sequim Lavender Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary.  While the actual festival takes place July 17 - 19, there are a host of activities the entire month celebrating all things lavender, from farm tours to lavender-themed brunches and more.

Among the lavender farms you can visit is Jardin du Soleil.  This family-owned organic lavender farm really is an oasis - it is located on 10 acres featuring fields of lavender along with Victorian gardens, fruit orchards, livestock and more on the Olympic peninsula, surrounded by protected land.   

The farm: Established in 1999 on what is historic 1880s dairyland, Jardin du Soleil has a wide array of organic lavender fields blooming now through the end of summer for the public to stroll through.  Owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Paul and Jordan Schiefen, Jardin du Soleil features more than just standard French and Spanish lavender you find in nurseries - the farm offers unique and hard to find varieties you don’t find elsewhere, with names such as “Royal Velvet.  Visitors have the chance to pick their own lavender to take home through its u-pick fields, as well as lavender plants that they can take home to plant themselves. 

Beyond lavender:  In addition to its lavender fields, Jardin du Soleil features a range of lavender-based products for sale, made from the farm’s own lavender.  Jardin du Soleil distills its own essential oils on site, which it incorporates into many of its products including its luxury bath and beauty line.  Visitors can learn how to make their own lavender essential oils, working alongside Jardin du Soleil’s distillers.  If you get tired of the lavender fields, you can stroll through the farm’s Victorian gardens, including a meander through its Victorian boxwood garden maze, as well as visit with the farm’s goats and chickens. Jardin du Soleil also offers space for camping, as well as rental space for weddings and other private events. In July, they also offer “Brunch in the Blooms” (starting July 11 this year).  On the Sequim Lavender Festival Weekend, Jardin du Soleil also hosts three days of live music, local food vendors, artisans and more.

Takeaways for the home:  Whether you plan to plant lavender in a yard or in a pot on a deck, Jardin du Soleil will show you the vast array of lavender varieties that grow here in the Pacific Northwest.  Not all lavender blooms at the same time, and you can learn what varieties you will need to have lavender blooms throughout the summer.  You can also learn all the ways you can incorporate lavender in your daily life, from culinary lavender (including grilling) to lavender tea.    

Jardin du Soleil is located at 3932 Sequim Dungeness Way in Sequim, Wash.  For more information (including how to purchase passes for Jardin du Soleil’s Lavender Festival Weekend), please visit their website at https://www.jardindusoleil.com/.

All Photos Credit: Pete Rowen