A Summer Visit to Lavender Waves Farm
Having recently written a Lavender Plant Spotlight, I realized there was one place I couldn't leave out of my own lavender education.
Before Lavender Waves Farm closed for the season last weekend, I made the short trip to South Kingstown to see South County Rhode Island's only dedicated lavender farm.
What I expected was lavender.
What I didn't expect was to be so enchanted by the peacocks, guinea hens, camels, free-roaming alpacas and llamas, or by the impromptu conversation with the farm's owner.
Welcomed by Feathers and Fur
The first surprise wasn’t the thousands of flowers.
It was the white peacock.
All photos by Parsley & Petal.
It glided by the chicken coop and through the gates to greet us while visitors admired the resident camels, two rare two-humped Bactrian camels. Nearby, a one-humped dromedary camel grazed. Before long, it became clear that Lavender Waves Farm isn't simply a lavender field. It’s a place where plants and animals share the landscape.
A resident two-humped Bactrian camel.
After walking through the fields, inhaling the lavender, chasing butterflies, and otherwise feeling like I was a flower child in a Calgon commercial, I happened to meet the owner, Dr. Henry Cabrera.
He was getting ready to release the llamas and alpacas for some leisurely breakfast. Within moments, they were wandering through the property while visitors followed with cameras in hand.
A friendly llama approached me during my visit. They are about twice the size of an alpaca, with a more elongated face and ears.
Lavender Waves Farm opened to the public (for limited events) in 2020 after owner Henry Cabrera transformed a historic South Kingstown property into one of Rhode Island's only dedicated lavender farms. This year marks its first official full season.
Cabrera, an anesthesiologist at South County Hospital, originally imagined taking up sailing after moving to Rhode Island. Instead, as he has joked, chronic seasickness sent him looking for a different hobby, one that ultimately became a lavender farm.
In another one of those quintessential Rhode Island moments, we discovered Henry had once worked with my cousin, who is also a physician.
Lavender Lessons
I learned Folgate lavender thrives on his farm, located in South County, RI.
All my life, whenever I've called my mom, a physician and The Family Oracle, because someone (including the dog) wasn't feeling well and I wanted a diagnosis, she would inevitably answer, "Just observe.”
Gardens have a way of teaching you to do the same thing. You can start with a design, but over time, the garden reveals what truly wants to grow there.
As I talked with Henry, I was struck by how similar gardening is to medicine and science. All three begin with observation. We make our best decisions not by forcing our ideas onto the world, but by paying attention to what the evidence tells us.
Whether we're tending a garden, treating a patient, or running an experiment, nature has a way of humbling us. We're always learning.
One question I had was about the varieties that perform best in Rhode Island. Earlier in the season, someone at the farm had mentioned that Folgate thrives here, and Henry confirmed they're gradually planting more of it while moving away from Phenomenal and Grosso.
For gardeners growing lavender in southern New England, it was an interesting reminder that even experienced growers continue to evaluate which plants perform best over time.
Seeing the Garden Differently
As gardeners, we're used to thinking about how a landscape looks from the patio or the kitchen window.
Lavender Waves asks visitors to imagine it from another viewpoint.
Henry explained that local pilots often comment that they love seeing the farm's distinctive design from above. Rather than planting a traditional rectangular field, the lavender radiates outward in rays around a central gazebo, in a circular pattern most clearly visible from above.
Standing among the blooms, it's easy to appreciate the fragrance.
Knowing the fields were designed as a work of landscape geometry made me appreciate them in an entirely different way.
Mental note: Contact pilot cousin.
Rows of lavender radiate from a central gazebo.
View of fields from the gazebo. A white tent in the background hosts seasonal artisan markets that showcase local creators' handmade goods.
Worth The Trip
Because I grow lavender at home, I skipped the cut-your-own bouquet and traded it for conversation instead.
By the time I left, I realized Lavender Waves offers more than beautiful photographs.
It's a working farm, a thoughtfully designed landscape, and a place where curiosity is rewarded.
I came hoping to see lavender at its summer peak. I left with a better understanding of how it's grown in Rhode Island and with a renewed appreciation for the care and planning behind every field of purple.
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