Our history
We invite you to read this summary of our background as we share our journey with you.
We settled into our home in the Wairau Valley and throughout the last three decades our Lavender Patch grew and grew, eventually show-casing 150 varieties and many naturally seeding plants. The colours of our show garden created a stunning vista, and sensory patch of mingled blue,violet, purple, pink and soft grey hues. Visualize a monet painting.
Lavender became an inspiration as a subject for my first art works, and I discovered that I was able to nurture another personal passion. My enjoyment of and love of painting has continued throughout the years.
Our property was named Leighvander Cottage, 'Leigh' my daughters name and 'Vander' from lavender. Our new property is named 'Leighvander Deux' (Number Two).
We hosted many Garden Tours over the years, our famous lavender muffins, chocolate and ice -cream became a favourite and enjoyed by numerous tourists from all over the world.
A highlight, especially to Japanese Aromotherapy tour groups was the picking of flowers from The Patch and the distilling of oil from the flowers in a replica monk still we installed.
A wonderful result of our show garden, our 'Lavender Patch', has been the creation of our very own 'Leigh' range of lavender plants, born from our vast number of species and colours.
Lavender Essential Oil
Leighvander Essential Oil was distilled by the steam distillation method, harvested and distilled annually . The availability of other growers crops allows us to keep providing essential oil in the future.
Leighvander Cottage has won numerous awards in the NZ Lavender Oil Association Awards.
Lavender Essential Oil is one of the few oils that can be applied directly to the skin. It is excellent for burns, bites and stings. It is a natural calmative and has been used for centuries to help with sleeping and was used in embalming in ancient times. The Roman soldiers used it as an antiseptic and it was also used in both World Wars.
