“Blue gold” do you know? This small plant which charms you with its luminous blue and its captivating perfume has been known since antiquity for its medicinal virtues. To discover these large expanses of lavender you will take the road to Nice departing from Digne-les-Bains then crossing the small villages of Mezel, Estoublon ou Arms of Asse until Valensole plateau. You won't resist the urge to stop and immortalize the purple touches in the middle of the wheat fields, a true fragrant sea.
Lavender is the soul of Haute-Provence.
Fragrant sea
Its intoxicating scent and its unique color captivate hearts.
A little history…
The true history of lavender begins at the beginning of the 19th century, when it only existed in the wild and was harvested by shepherds and farmers. Today, it is the cultivation of lavandin which dominates, resulting from the crossing between lavender officinalis and aspic lavender. Hybridization thus made it possible to develop the cultivation of this “blue strand” towards the middle of the 20th century, in the face of growing demand from perfumers in Grasse.
A museum that will tell you everything
Let yourself be told the story of blue strand along a sound and light tour at Lavender Museum in Digne-les-Bains.
A journey to discover the history of lavender production around Digne-les-Bains from the 1900s to the present day with testimonies and life stories.
Legends and stories about the benefits surrounding lavender and its essence are told there.
Lavender or lavandin?
There are two species cultivated in Provence: lavender and lavandin. True or fine lavender Lavandula angustifolia is the noblest of lavenders and its essential oil has benefited from a PDO since 1981: “Lavender essential oil from Haute-Provence”. It is characterized by a long branch with a single flower spike, and grows in the form of bushes. It is found between 500 and 1500 meters above sea level on the sunny slopes of our mountains. Lavandin is a hybrid of true lavender and aspic lavender (lavandula spica). It grows easily in a natural environment but is mainly found in culture. Its branched branch with three flower spikes makes it more voluminous than fine lavender. Its yield is much higher than that of true lavender. Lavandin does not reproduce and its scent is lighter than that of lavender.
Don't miss the flowering period and the lavender festivities! To see the fields in flower, plan a stay between June 15 and the end of July. Flowering lasts until the end of August but lavender is harvested from the second half of July.
The Lavender Corso
Le Lavender Corso takes place every year on the first weekend of August in Digne-les-Bains. Since 1939, the city has been wearing its garb of light and taking visitors and Dignois to the land of scents and dreams with its parades of decorated floats, its musical groups and its great funfair.
100% lavender
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