 Prior to 2022, Karen Parr and Bert Floyd were living in London, ON, working corporate jobs, and living daily life. Eventually they pictured themselves moving out to the country and living on a farm - a quiet property with tall trees, lots of nature, and space to relax. Then one evening during a sleepless night, Bert stumbled upon a listing for a stunning lavender farm property in Sparta, ON, and an unexpected adventure began. "It's Bert's fault," Karen said with a laugh. "He wanted to move to the country. We wanted some trees and a barn and a tractor - we weren't expecting 10,000 lavender plants!" But after seeing the property, Karen and Bert quickly fell in love with it, and in just days they were the new owners of a lavender farm. "We found it, put an offer in, and owned it within four days," Karen explained. "So that was like, holy moly!" The sale was finalized, and on July 30, 2022 after only owning the property for 12 days, Sparta Lavender Farm officially opened its doors. Initially, Karen and Bert didn't plan on keeping the lavender farm running and open to the public, they just knew it was their dream property which ticked many of their boxes when house hunting. "We quickly fell in love with the property. The exquisite gardens and fragrant lavender fields only added to its beauty," Karen explained. "As avid kayakers, campers, and adventurers on paths less travelled, this property was perfectly located for us. It's close to Lake Erie, conservation areas, and our family in nearby St. Thomas, London, and Kilworth." But once the word got out among their friends and family, the encouragement to keep the farm doors open to the public was incredible. "We started telling people we had bought the farm, and everyone kept saying, you have to keep it open!" Karen said as we sat on the patio connected to the farm store on a sunny afternoon. "So within probably a week we decided, okay, let's give it a go." Karen's sister-in-law helped her come up with a logo, another friend helped her set up the farm store, and the entire family rallied around them to support the continuation of the farm and keeping the doors open to visitors. In less than two weeks, Karen and Bert moved onto the 40-acre property, figured out the basic ropes of opening a business, got the farm store set up, and dove head first into learning all about lavender. But Karen and Bert knew the property was too special not to share, and that all of the work would be worth it. Throughout their first year on the farm, Karen and Bert dove head first into all things lavender. They were lucky enough to hire the previous farm owners incredible gardener Hilary, who not only helped keep the gardens thriving and beautiful during Karen and Bert's first season, but also provided them with a wealth of knowledge. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. "There's been some reading," Karen said with a laugh. "We joined the Ontario Lavender Association (where Karen is now a board member), take courses, and every year we hire students from the Fanshawe Horticulture Program - and that's been so helpful because they have each brought in different knowledge. And then we share some of whatever we are learning with them, so it's a really lovely relationship." In addition to education, gardening, and getting acquainted to the property, Karen and Bert had to find products to stock the farm store. Karen's sister-in-law pulled through again, introducing her to a website and company that was all Canadian women owned and fair trade. "That organization really resonated with me," said Karen. "Everything we put [in the shop] that isn't ours is still sourced in Canada and is women owned." After finishing their first year on the farm, Karen and Bert began to plan for their first full lavender season in 2023. While learning about lavender and all the aspects of business ownership, Karen found herself taken aback by the amount of waste generated by products and packaging. They decided to only use glass to reduce plastic waste, and picked Canadian companies. Even in their gardening, the Sparta Lavender Farm focuses heavily on sustainability. "We don't use plastic weed mats, we irrigate with drip tape instead of big sprinklers which is better for the plants, and we only use natural fertilizers like chicken poop," explained Karen. "It can make things cost a little more and take a little more time, but it's very important to us." The farm is a Certified Wildlife-friendly Habitat with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and they are a monarch sanctuary. "Our forest has been certified as an area of scientific and natural interest, so we are working to put the protections in place for this land so we can be good stewards of it, Karen said. "We're not just trying to have a nice garden, we want to educate and connect people to the land." They now have informational signage throughout the gardens about lavender, pollinators, and wildlife, and Karen and Bert have their horticulture students manage a zone and create living projects, like pumpkin patches and sunflower patches. Karen and Bert politely ask that people leave their pets at home when visiting the farm, unless it is a registered service animal. In order to start making their own products, Karen and Bert had to learn all about lavender - the growth cycle, trimming times, bloom season, and how to extract the natural lavender oils. All of their oil-based products are made right on the farm, and for their culinary products they rent a near-by commercial kitchen at Seed Confections in St. Thomas. "It involved a lot of research, trial, and error, and some spectacular fails," laughed Karen. "Like a sugar scrub. I wanted a sugar scrub! How hard can that be? It's sugar in some sort of oil, but it just turns into grey cement! But I love telling people these things because they don't see the disasters, just the finished products that worked." Along with their incredible team of gardeners, Karen and Bert are endlessly thankful for all of the incredible people that have crossed their path to help them make Sparta Lavender Farm the incredible, welcoming place they dreamed of. From the practitioners that come to the farm to offer yoga, sound baths, reiki and more, to the chemist who helps them with research and doubles as a fabulous baker who creates their incredible lines of culinary products and baked goods, and to local businesses like From The Vines who have partnered with Sparta Lavender Farm to offer charcuterie boards for picnics and more. "2022 was just about opening the doors and getting people here so they would remember us, but 2023 was about starting to put our fingerprints on it," said Karen. "I wanted to build a community space that I was always looking for when we lived in London with activities and events." Sparta Lavender Farm is now home to many activities, events, informational talks, and is bustling with growth, love, and a beautiful sense of community. They host monthly markets by The Little Market Collective on the farm, offer garden tours, lavender talks, and so much more. Before owning and operating the Sparta Lavender Farm, Karen and Bert didn't know about the Horton Farmers' Market, but thanks to a referral made by Elgin County Tourism, they came out to shop and loved the community environment they found amongst vendors and shoppers. "I came by a few mornings to do my shopping and got to know some of the vendors and it just got connected slowly but surely that way," Karen said with a smile. "We decided to give it a shot and the community was so good. Fellow vendors like Magnolia + Co helped me figure out our table set up, and vendors just took me under their wing - it's like a big, fun family. And the staff at the Horton Farmers' Market are genuinely interested in understanding your business and how they can help elevate it." The Horton Farmers' Market helped Sparta Lavender Farm connect with the local communities, letting them know that although the farm had sold, the new owners were continuing the lavender farm and the doors were still open to customers. "There's been so many people I've met through Horton that are now regulars at the farm, and people that I've met on the farm I can tell to come see us at the Horton Farmers' Market too." As Sparta Lavender Farm continues their 2026 season (their bloom season lasts until July 25), make sure you are following them on Facebook and Instagram to see what activities, events, and offerings are underway, and when they will be at the Horton Farmers' Market (even when Karen is busy on the farm, you can find a range of their products inside the market building at Horton each Saturday from 8am-12pm). Their gardens close in October, but their farm store stays open until Christmas, and their products can be found at the Horton Farmers' Market year-round. Take some time this summer to pop out to the Sparta Lavender Farm to explore the gardens, view their wildflowers and butterflies, and to slow down and reconnect with nature in a beautiful space that Karen and Bert so lovingly share with our community.
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