The Michigan lavender harvest is underway
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EmailLearn more about this floral culinary ingredient by visiting a farm near you.
Lavender is typically harvested in Michigan from mid-July through mid-August. Now is the perfect time to visit a lavender farm to learn more about this beautiful plant that is also in high demand as a culinary ingredient.
Summerhouse Lavender Farm hosted a lavender harvest event on July 12 and 13, 2025, at their farm located in Fennville, Michigan. The festival offered a wide variety of activities, including opportunities to make your own lavender wreath, sample lavender shortbread cookies and shop for a wide variety of lavender products like soaps, lotions, tea blends, lavender infused honey, and home décor.
Both English and French varieties of lavender are planted at Summerhouse Lavender Farm and guests can purchase plants for their own home garden. Michigan State University Extension has some excellent resources on growing lavender in the article by Wynne Wright and Heidi Lindberg, “Growing lavender in Michigan: Advice for a purple garden,” like the online, self-paced course, “How to Grow Lavender: A Curriculum for Farmers.”
Wynne Wright, Ph.D., is a recently retired professor from MSU and a founder of the Great Lakes Lavender Growers Association. Wright has been growing lavender for the past 10 years and says Michigan’s conditions are suitable for the crop because lavender likes sandy or rocky soils and doesn’t need much water. In speaking to Sarah Spohn for the Rural Innovation Exchange article, “Lavender farms on the rise in Michigan,” Wright shares that Michigan is a leader in terms of numbers of lavender farms, with over 100 across the state.
Purdue Extension states that English lavender is most commonly used in baking and as a food ingredient. Before using lavender leaves and flowers as an ingredient, gently wash them in cool water. To use the flowers, snip the stems off the plant right after the flowers have bloomed and opened. Dried lavender is commonly ground in an herb grinder or with a mortar and pestle for use in recipes. For more information about how to store and use lavender, as well as access recipes for lavender lemonade and lemon lavender shortbread cookies, view Purdue Extension’s FoodLink lavender resource.
To locate a farm near you, visit greatlakeslavendergrowers.org or check out this article by Sherry Trautman for Travelling Michigan that features 20 lavender farms and festivals.
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