ORRVILLE, Ohio — Situated in the back of an Orrville industrial park is Lavender Trails, a four-and-a-half-acre lavender farm.
Retired school teachers Jim and Amy Duxbury opened the farm five years ago. The idea came while Jim was researching a grant for his students.
"As I was researching that," he said. "Something came up that said 'Hey! Plant lavender for retirement.' I said 'Who plants lavender?'. Here we are."
Now, purple, white, and pink varieties thrive on the farm's property. Families can cut some lavender or use it as a backdrop for photos. Visitors should also be prepared for a lesson with these retired educators.
"For us, it is almost like an extension of the classroom," Amy Duxbury said. "People come out. They have questions. We get to interact. That's what we like to do. That's what we thrive at."
The Duxburys will guide visitors through the "bump, rub, and sniff" method of experiencing lavender. Throughout the field, the former educators have placed signs with facts about the plant. A section of the farm has also been blocked off for research projects conducted by College of Wooster students.
In addition, the farm has also helped other local organizations grow.
Since opening in 2020, Lavender Trails has partnered with the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio. Between $2,000 and $2,500 has been raised each year by the farm.
The farm is also making an impact on the local environment.
Lavender Trails sits on an old construction site.
"We are the only one in the country taking a brownfield and making it green," Jim Duxbury said. "Or, you could argue, purple."
Leftover bricks and other construction materials can still be found in the fields, but the lavender still thrives.
The presence of these plants has brought back important members of the local ecosystem. Hummingbird moths flock to the field, and bees enter into a euphoric state as they fly from plant to plant. The Duxburys are also adding to the environment by rearing Monarch Butterflies for the first time this year.
"There's a place for all of this too," Amy Duxbury said. "The pollinators need some of the plants."
Most importantly, it's bringing people from all corners of the United States to Duxbury's beloved Orrville Community for the lavender and fun activities and festivals sprinkled across the farm's season.
"Who doesn't want to come out to enjoy a lavender field and just enjoy the smells, the aromas, the pollinators, the pictures, the memories," Jim Duxbury said. "It's just phenomenal."
For more on Lavender Trails, click here.
