Airport Road on Washington Island smelled great on Saturday, and it wasn't all barbecue. Before the smoke and sauce caught your nose, lavender proved a delight to your olfactory glands. Lavender farms are so popular on Washington Island that they anchor their own festival earlier in the summer. Master Gardener Carrie Sherrill notes "Island lavender" is highly sought after because of the textbook growing conditions.
Some farms have as many as 20,000 plants in the ground with peak blooms happening from mid-June through August. By now, most of that lavender has been spoken for but you still have the opportunity to get some for yourself.
