Welcome to Provence
After the destruction by the Romans of Celtic Power, these used in the west of the Mediterranean basin, lavender to keep the laundry and perfume the baths.
The word "lavender" comes from the Latin "Lavare" which means washing, purifying.
It is with the arrival of the Romans that lavender makes its appearance in Provence 2000 years ago. She should not leave this area where she was going to grow in the hills and on the trays.
It is from the end of the 19th century that Provencal peasants began to maintain and treat wild lavagerians.
It can be said that lavender essence is a French fuel.
His culture is of interest to a poor and mountainous region whose necessary resource.
In 1960, more than 150 tons of essential oils were produced, a record.
Subsequently, with the competition of imports and synthesis products, the production reaches the hollow of the wave in 1992.
Thanks to the implementation of two successive stimulus plans (1994/1998 and 2000/2005) of lavender production, this culture is today in a new growth momentum.
Lavender, among the odoriferous plants, is noble because it is native of high places. A people who are aware of his mountains is always proven, during the strongest pulses and independences. "
About a lavender farmer collected by Raoul Arnaud, horticultural engineer of the School of Versailles.
The production of the lavender of Provence is:
• 4 departments: Drôme, Alps of Haute Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Vaucluse;
• 20 000 ha of culture;
• 2,000 producers and about 25,000 induced jobs;
• 120 distilleries, 30 of which are open to visitors.
Lavender is a sustainable plant located to be cultivated about ten years.
Its flowering takes place in July, and its harvest is around July 14 (variable according to altitude and year).
The main lavender production area for the essential oil is located mainly on the Albion plateau and in eastern Vaucluse, southern Drôme, northern Alps-de-Haute-Provence and the Hautes-Alpes.