– by Susan Simosko –
Alan Mayfield travelled many miles to find his roots. Born in the UK, Alan came to Canada in 1968 as a professional engineer who worked in the Ontario oil fields then in the lumber industry in BC. After forming his own company, he spent the next phase of his life marketing secondary forest products world-wide. Then disaster struck. He had two heart attacks and was convinced he would not live long.
A year-long trip at sea, however, convinced him that he not only was going to live but with a few lifestyle changes, could live a long and happy life. That led him to Salt Spring Island where he tried his hand at lavender farming on a small plot of leased land. “As soon as I started,” Alan tells me, “I realized farming hit a deep chord. I knew I’d made the right decision. My father was a farmer but as a young man, I didn’t really respect that work. I wish he was here now!”
In 2003, Alan began participating in Sidney’s Thursday night markets. “I loved everything about the market,” Alan says. “I knew I had to bring my lavender farm to the Peninsula.” In 2005, Alan purchased seven acres of “gorgeous land” and began farming in North Saanich, opening the Victoria Lavender Shop in Sidney.
He also went to Australia and New Zealand to learn everything he could about growing lavender. “There is so much to it,” he enthuses. “I learned, for example, that you need to be creative and develop value-added products that residents and visitors alike can enjoy all year long. While gardeners buy plants, it’s all the other things you can do with lavender that excite me.”
Alan’s lavender farm, right off the Pat Bay Highway is remarkable. It is both peaceful and joyful, not only because of the 30 different types of lavender Alan grows, but because of the playful petting zoo he created. “I have 52,000 animals,” he says. “What?” I ask in disbelief. He laughs and says: “Most of those are bees!” The other animals – more appropriate for petting – include eight Nigerian goats, lambs, sheep and New Zealand white rabbits, the second largest type in the world.
The petting zoo includes 20 peacocks, a variety of chickens, and two lovely border collies who are the unofficial greeters to the farm. “The petting zoo just grew naturally out of my love for animals,” Alan says. “I started taking in rescue farm animals, creating a safe haven for them, and now I’ve got a lovely family of happy creatures who thrive here. I never planned for a petting zoo but love sharing them with visitors. It’s great fun!”
Alan does almost all the work on the farm himself, helped by volunteer students and seniors who can no longer have their own gardens. Alan also works with a number of local craftspeople who help him turn the lavender into the sachets, oils and other products sold at the farm and Sidney shop.
Remarkably – and Alan wouldn’t have it any other way – the Victoria Lavender Farm is free and open to the public every day. A special lavender festival is planned for July 11 and 12. Check out www.victorialavender.com and Victoria Lavender Farm on Facebook.
