Annemarie Manders reflects on 35 years as a lavender farmer in the Yarra Valley
Annemarie Manders has been growing lavender for 35 years. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Annemarie Manders has hitchhiked across Europe, nursed patients for hours on end, raised two sons and grieved for her late husband, but one of her greatest challenges has involved a small purple flower.
"I stumbled into growing lavender," she said.
"All I knew was it was a purple flower with a lovely fragrance, so I started out very green."
Annemarie Manders grows two varieties of lavender. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Ms Manders has been growing lavender in Victoria's picturesque Yarra Valley for 35 years, but she never dreamed of becoming a farmer.
"I trained and worked as an operating theatre nurse, so I knew nothing about agriculture," she said.
"But my husband and I bought this old cherry orchard block and wanted to make use of the land."
Today the farm is home to more than 12,000 plants of the Lavandula intermedia and Lavandula angustifolia classifications.
Ms Manders she and her husband faced a steep learning curve.
"We had no equipment and no buildings — we didn't even have a tractor," she said.
"But I'm quite impetuous, so I just jumped in the deep end and made plenty of mistakes along the way."
Annemarie Manders has transformed an old cherry orchard into a lavender agritourism business. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Today the farm attracts lavender lovers from around Australia and beyond.
"We've turned it into an agritourism destination," Ms Manders said.
"So people flock here from November to January when the lavender is in full bloom and we also teach them how it is grown and harvested."
A 'neat, tidy' crop
Ms Manders said she was immediately drawn to lavender.
"I'm a very organised person, which was always important when arranging instruments on the operating table," she said.
"So I just love how lavender grows in such neat, tidy rows."
But Ms Manders said it was also a versatile crop.
"We grow two kinds of lavender — one to put into food products such as teas, ice creams, scones, and cakes," she said.
"The other is used in craft products or sold as bunches to wholesale flower markets as far as Sydney and Brisbane."
Lavender can be added to various food, including scones. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Ms Manders said timing was crucial when it came to harvesting.
"We pick the edible lavender at the end of November and then the non-edible lavender about a month later," she said.
Lavender is best picked in the morning, according to Ms Manders.
"We start picking very early, at around 5:30am or 6am, because that's when the flowers are crisp and the lavender fragrance is at its strongest," she said.
"We then hang all the bunches upside down in the drying shed, where they dry for about two weeks."
Victoria's lavender plants are in full bloom from late spring. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Once the lavender is dried, it is sifted to remove sticks and leaves and poured into a large container.
Ms Manders said her approach was positively old-fashioned.
"You could automate this process, but I'd prefer it to be hands-on so people can see, touch, and smell all the stripped lavender," she said.
"And it's a gorgeous experience."
An 'absolute passion'
For Ms Manders, growing lavender is a labour of love.
"From the start I knew I wouldn't make much money," she said.
"But it's an absolute passion of mine and I was determined that the farm would not fail."
Annemarie Manders says she hopes to keep growing lavender for years to come. (ABC Rural: Faith Tabalujan)
Ms Manders said she had no intention of retiring.
"I've been doing this for 35 years and don't think I'll stop anytime soon," she said.
"But when I do, I'll be pushing up another lavender bush I think!"