On a recent Saturday morning, lavender farmers Gary and Rocio Parkinson had been up and working since 5:30 a.m.; typical farmers’ hours at the couple’s 29 Rows Lavender Farm in Happy Valley.
The scent of lavender wafted by on a faint breeze as the hum of foraging bees joined sounds of laughter from the couple’s young grandchildren at play on a nearby swing set. This particular morning was especially hectic in preparation for a close family friend’s wedding, scheduled for later that day.
Like many grand goals, the initial concept of creating a full-scale lavender farm — complete with a shop to dry and distill lavender to create and sell multiple products — wasn’t exactly on the Parkinson’s lifelong bucket list. Rather, over the years several small seeds of ideas germinated and blossomed into fully developed plans and products.
A large shop on the Parkinson’s Happy Valley property contains bundles of lavender, and supplies to make lavender products. Photo by Doni Chamberlain.
Although the couple, both in their mid-50s, personify the saying, “Team work makes the dream work”, Gary credits his wife as their relationship’s perpetual idea machine.
“I tell everybody my life’s like Shark Tank,'” Gary said with a smile. “My wife pitches me ideas every night, and I say yes or no.”
Rocio and Gary Parkinson harvest lavender at their 29 Rows Lavender Farm. Photo source: 29 Rows website.
One look around 29 Rows Lavender Farm and it’s clear that Gary has has said yes to many of his wife’s ideas.
Case in point, a wide selection of products are produced from lavender harvested at 29 Rows Lavender Farm, everything from lavender bundles and satchels, to bath bombs, roll-on oils, lavender sprays, lavender sugars and lavender simple syrups. Likewise, some 29 Rows Lavender Farms products are sold at various area Holiday Markets, and at Stellar Jay’s Gifts in the Redding Public Market.
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Farming had always appealed to the Parkinsons, especially Rocio, who was raised in Cottonwood where her family grew their own fruits and vegetables, and butchered animals they’d raised for food. They canned and preserved during the warm months so they’d enjoy home-grown food all winter.
Meanwhile, Gary was an avid hiker and outdoorsman, open to the idea of farming.
“We’d always wanted to farm something,” he said. “We just didn’t know what. We were both naturally drawn to lavender because of its wonderful scent, versatility, and many wellness benefits. When we purchased the property we knew lavender was the perfect fit for our vision. It reflects our belief in using natural products to get back to nature.”
It’s not as if the Parkinsons had spare hours in need of a hobby. They both have full-time “day” jobs. Gary is the general manager of Blach Beverage LLC, an Anheuser-Busch wholesaler and distributor. Rocio is a secretary at the nearby Happy Valley Primary School. Basically, their lavender farm is what they do when they’re not working outside their home.
The couple, who met at West Valley High high school, have been married for 36 years. They have three children and five grandchildren, all of whom provide them with endless joy and entertainment.
“We love spending time with our children and grandchildren,” Gary said. “Being outdoors and enjoying nature together is our favorite way to spend time when we’re not working.”
Three generations of Parkinson men: From left, Jacob, Emmet and Gary Parkinson. Photo by Doni Chamberlain.
When the couple purchased their country parcel in 2014 it was a blank slate of undeveloped red clay brimming with potential in Happy Valley, an unincorporated part of Anderson. They built their house in 2016. All the while they brainstormed about various farming options. Opportunity knocked in 2020 when they fulfilled their daughter’s wish to be married on her parents’ property.
At the time, the Parkinson’s rural acreage consisted of their newly constructed home surrounded by open land bordered by oaks, manzanita and assorted pines.
Because they had about six months to prepare for the daughter’s wedding, they planted a few rows of lavender, which resembled small green balls. Those early plantings led to an expansion of 29 rows of lavender — hence, their farm’s namesake — although they’ve grown far beyond 29 rows by now.
“We tried to figure out how to create a wedding venue, and said well, we’ve always wanted a farm,” Gary said. “We said maybe we should get some lavender plants.”
Some lavender plants became an understatement manifested by many, many lavender plants.
Gary Parkinson hangs the first row of harvested lavender. Photo source, 29 Rows Lavender Farm.
They began with the classic grosso lavender, which supplies about 70 percent of the world’s lavender oil. Grosso is a highly fragrant French hybrid lavender that features strong camphor notes. Grosso is known for its long stems and large, deep, purple flower spikes. Grosso is considered the most medicinal of the lavenders, and also the most oily. In fact, rub a piece of grosso lavender flower between your fingers and you’ll not just smell the scent, but you will feel the lavender oil.
Grosso was great, but then some customers inquired about culinary lavender. Although technically, all lavender is edible, culinary lavender is sweeter, in both scent and flavor. So the Parkinsons planted culinary lavender, which is ready for harvest about four weeks earlier than grosso. Consequently, the Parkinsons now sell lavender simple syrup and lavender sugar, which can be used in everything from lavender lemonade to lavender shortbread cookies. Fun fact: Culinary lavender had a starring roll in the movie “It’s Complicated” when Meryl Streep’s character mentions she makes lavender honey ice cream when she can’t sleep. This inspired food bloggers to post their own recipes for Lavender Honey Ice Cream. (Note that this recipe doesn’t include honey, but it’s easy enough to include it in the ice cream mixture.)
Bees love lavender, too
In a mutually beneficial pollination collaboration, Burris Bees are brought to the Parkinson’s lavender farm, which provides a robust source of nectar that attracts both honey bees and bumble bees that in turn pollinate the lavender. The Burris beekeepers take care of transporting and caring for the bees. The Parkinson’s part of the arrangement entails providing open access for bee hives on the lavender farm so the bees can get busy and do what they do. The Burris bees are docile; a good thing since since Gary is allergic to bees. Gentle bees or not, for good measure Gary keeps an Epi-pen at the ready, but so far, he’s never needed one. In fact, one of the few bee-sting incidents involved his wife.
“It was my fault,” she said with a laugh. “I was picking up the bundles and I wasn’t paying attention to the bees underneath, because they will actually live inside the bundles as you’re creating bundles. So, I accidently squeezed a bee, which unfortunately was bad for the bee.”
Rocio emphasized that her bee-sting event was a rare occurrence. She said the bees are so hyper-focused on the lavender that they don’t give humans a second glance.
“That’s why I love when little kids get to be close to those bees and realize they’re good to us,” She said.
Her husband agreed, but admitted that because of his bee allergy, early on in his lavender farming experience, he did feel some initial trepidation.
“Absolutely, the first time I reached into a plant with 500 bees, I was nervous,” he said.
Lavender is pretty; pretty had work
As beautiful as the lavender plants are, the bottom line is that they’re an agricultural farm product that requires constant attention, long hours and hard labor. When the Parkinsons first began their lavender farming venture, they applied what they learned in real time as they gained new information and skills. In the beginning they even lacked proper farm equipment, so for a short time they relied upon the kindness of neighbors who lent the Parkinsons a tractor.
The lavender grew, and eventually it was time for harvest, which non-farmers might envision as romantic and fun, ala Under the Tuscan Sun. At first the Parkinsons were blessed by the good will of enthusiastic family and friends, some of whom traveled from such cooler climates as Crescent City and the Bay Area, to lend a hand during the lavender harvest’s often blistering temperatures. Eventually, as the couple planted more rows, and added yet more lavender varieties to their current tally of more than 1,500 plants, it was clear that close-knit lay workers were not a sustainable workforce. That’s when the Parkinsons hired experienced lavender harvesters.
Hired farm hands harvest lavender at 29 Rows Lavender Farm. Photo source, 29 Rows Lavender Farm.
The workers harvest the lavender, bundle the stalks and hang the lavender to dry on wires strung across the high-ceilinged shop’s walls.
Gary and Rocio Parkinson – 6th and 7th from left – stand with some of their professional lavender harvesters inside 29 Rows Lavender Farm’s shop. Photo source: 29 Rows Lavender Farm.
Much of what the Parkinsons now know about lavender farming they learned from other lavender farmers, some from as far away as Washington state, and as close as Orland. Armed with this lavender expertise, they’ve paid it forward by adopting the same willingness to share all they know with those who express interest in growing lavender, too, with no thought that they’re possibly training their competitors.
“We are as transparent as can be,” Gary said. “There are people who sometimes ask if we could tell them how to plant a lavender farm, and we say absolutely. People showed us the same compassion when we started.”
That level of compassion also inspired them to host free harvest events open to the public each year, such as the one coming up on June 13.
“It’s our way of giving back to the community,” Rocio said. “Families get to come here and experience what it’s like on a lavender farm.”
Although the June 13 event is free to the public, the Parkinsons set up an RSVP system for crowd control, because the property has a limit on how many vehicles and people it will hold. They anticipate approximately 500 people will attend, so the reservation system allows them to manage the number of guests who arrive. Event highlights include a food truck, lavender lemonade, music, lavender-oil distilling demonstrations, and many lavender-related products, although no lavender plants.
Also featured at the event is an obviously un-Provence-related activity — but something near and dear to Rocio’s heart — Mama Chio’s Succulent & Cacti Potting Station.
Gary explained the story behind Mama Chio.
“Rocio is Mexican, and in her culture it’s a term of endearment to call your grandmother ‘Mama’ followed by her name,” he said. “Chio has been Rocio’s family nickname since she was a child.”
For a nominal fee, during the lavender harvest event guests can select a pot, choose a succulent, and use the provided soil and pebbles to create personalized succulent keepsakes.
Guests at 29 Rows Lavender Farm create their own potted succulent plants to take home. Photo source: 29 Rows Lavender Farm.
Rocio can’t quite explain her love for succulents, but the couple’s mobile succulent-planting trailer is often one of the most popular features as they travel to various regional events and festivals.
But Rocio is not just content to plant succulents in the ground and in pots, like pedestrian gardeners. For example, in a clearing beyond the lavender farm stands a large old oak tree that looks as if it’s seen a lightening strike or two in its day. The tree currently shades Rocio’s newly created fairy garden, especially designed with her grandchildren and visiting children in mind. Rocio has brought beauty to the homely tree by artfully studding the split, scarred bark with an assortment of succulents, aided in their suspension by well-appointed burlap and chicken wire.
Why lavender?
Ask the Parkinsons about their decision to choose lavender as a farm crop, and prepare for an advanced education in the plants’ attributes.
“It’s very drought-tolerant, loves sun and doesn’t need a lot of water,” Rocio said. She added that those characteristics are ideal here in the North State’s horticulturally ideal Mediterranean climate.
She said lavender’s scent has myriad health benefits, from serving as a natural sleep aid to helping with stress and anxiety.
Sometimes, however, even lavender’s more soothing characteristics are no match for an unforgiving Mother Nature. Such was the case last year during a “freak” hailstorm that battered flower stems just before harvest. And they cannot forget the summer that delivered multiple 117-degree days, which required extra watering, but not too much, because excessive water will kill lavender. That’s why lavender is best planted on mounds, high up so their roots aren’t rotting in water.
“Our tagline is ‘getting back to nature’ ” Gary said. “Mother Nature is the queen of it all, and she’s doing to what she’s going to do.”
His wife agreed.
“That’s farming,” she said. “There are great years and there are not-so-great years. And that’s OK. You just have to roll with it.”
The couple has rolled with it, and they’ve learned a lot along the way. In fact, by the time their son married on the Parkinson property in 2022, the lavender was in full bloom, in all its glory.
Speaking of weddings, 29 Rows Lavender Farm is not available as a public wedding venue. Any weddings held at the Parkinson’s farm have been strictly private gatherings for close family and friends.
However, the couple does permit photographers to use their farm as a setting for everything from family portraits and senior photos to wedding-engagement photo shoots, but arrangements must be made in advance.
Outside the Parkinson’s home stands a heavy bench engraved with words the Parkinsons obviously live by: “There is a time and a season to every purpose under heaven.”
For the Parkinsons, this is the time and season for their lavender harvest. And their purpose? To share their love of farming, lavender, community, family and nature with as many people as possible.
And next year, Mother Nature willing, they’ll do it all over again.
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If you’re attending the 29 Rows Lavender Harvest
When: Saturday, June 13th, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: 15875 Butterfield Road, Anderson, CA 96007
Contact information: Phone: 530-510-8903, email: 29rows@gmail.com
RSVP here. Learn more about the event here.
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