Great Lakes Lavender Farm: From 30 Plants to a Grower Ecosystem

Great Lakes Lavender Farm began the way many good agricultural ideas begin: with a manageable number of plants and a completely unmanageable number of possibilities.

In 2017, Sierra started a hobby planting of about 30 lavender plants in Traverse City, Michigan. The collection grew, along with her skill in cultivating lavender and creating products from it. Andrew brought a background in entrepreneurship, marketing and small business. Together they founded Great Lakes Lavender Farm in March 2023 and built a Rockford operation around plants, products, education and community.

Our original launch article called the farm a lavender wonderland. Three years later, the phrase still has charm, but the work has become more specific. We are a private working farm and nursery, an online retail and wholesale business, a product studio, and a growing digital resource for people who want to put lavender in a pot, a garden, a field or a business plan.

Rooted in Michigan

Great Lakes Lavender Farm is based on a four-plus-acre property in Rockford, Michigan, with greenhouse production that supports an expanding cultivar collection. We grow for Great Lakes conditions, where drainage, humidity, winter wetness and freeze-thaw cycles deserve as much attention as the minimum temperature.

The farm is private and closed to unscheduled visitors. Customers can meet us at listed farmers markets, craft shows and festivals, shop online, or arrange eligible local pickup on Wednesday or Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Check the Events and pickup pages before traveling.

Every purchase helps plant another lavender plant. That promise connects a lip balm, a tray of plugs and a wholesale order to the same next step: more living lavender in the ground or greenhouse.

Plants for one pot or an entire field

The nursery side of Great Lakes serves home gardeners, landscape customers, farm startups and established commercial growers.

Retail and production formats may include:

• 3-inch plugs with a root profile about three inches tall by 1.5 inches wide.
• Fuller 4-inch potted plants.
• 1-gallon plants in roughly 6.25-inch-tall black TEKU pots.
• 72-cell Star Deep trays with 3-inch-deep cells.
• Deep 20-cell trays sold as 20 plants in a 21-cell carrier.
• Two-plus-year bare-root lavender with roots at least about 6.25 inches.

The catalog extends across hundreds of lavender records and includes English lavender, lavandin, species lavender, distinctive flower colors, repeat-bloom selections and companion herbs and perennials. Availability is living inventory, not a static promise. Use the product page, Wishlist, Compare and an availability alert where offered.

Current wholesale plant minimums begin at two 72-cell trays, three deep 20-cell trays or 75 bare-root plants per variety in multiples of 25. The Wholesale Hub provides current quantities, lead times, eligibility and pricing.

Lavender beyond the plant

The shop includes homegrown and collaboratively produced goods across several collections:

• Pure lavender and Great Lakes-inspired essential oils.
• Dried bundles, loose buds and sachets.
• Body butters, bar soaps, foaming or liquid soaps, bath bombs, salts, lip balms and other personal care.
• Room, linen, sleep and seasonal fragrance products.
• Culinary lavender products where current licensing and fulfillment allow.
• Gifts, apparel, stickers, keychains, pet items and farm merchandise.
• Propagation trays and growing supplies.

Product pages provide the current ingredients, size, intended use, inventory and fulfillment. Our guides avoid medical promises. Lavender can be aromatic, beautiful and enjoyable without being promoted as a treatment for health conditions.

A website that works like a grower

The new Great Lakes website is designed to answer the next question, not merely display the next product.

Choose with context

Use the USDA Zone Finder and Frost Date Estimator (coming soon) to begin with location. Compare Cultivars places plant records side by side. Wishlist captures possibilities, while My Lavender Garden keeps plants connected to a personal plan.

Learn before planting

Care Academy organizes growing education. The Lavender Farm Simulator lets new growers explore decisions without risking a real crop. Field Planner helps translate cultivars and quantities into rows and blocks.

Keep growing after checkout

Grower Community gives hobby gardeners, new farms and experienced operators a place to share fields, trials, questions and observations. Saved plant and care tools are designed to make the relationship last longer than the shipping notification.

Buy at the right scale

Retail customers can shop single plants and finished goods. Wholesale Hub supports live plants, plugs, bare root, retail product programs, custom work and private label. Wishlist, Compare and saved grower plans help larger buyers build an order before requesting a quote.

Some advanced workspaces may display a clear Coming Soon status while production integrations are completed. We will not advertise a placeholder as a working diagnosis, economics or inventory system. The page itself states what is live.

Shipping plants with seasons, not against them

Live plants are shipped in two eligible windows: spring, March 1 through May 31, and fall, October 1 through November 30. Bare-root lavender ships March 1 through May 31. Live-plant shipping pauses June 1 through September 30 because summer heat and active plant growth make safe transit a poor gamble.

Destination rules also matter. Soil-grown plants cannot be shipped to certain states under the farm's current program. Bare-root or local-pickup paths may remain available when eligible. Weather can create warnings, holds or protection limits. Checkout should always give a valid next step instead of sending a customer into a dead end.

Optional programs include Shipping Protection, 24-Hour Healthy Arrival and a 1-Year Plant Warranty when the order and weather meet the published terms. A customer-directed shipment below 32°F or above 90°F can void eligibility. Read the current terms; a three-year-old blog paragraph does not outrank the forecast.

Wholesale, custom and private label

Approved wholesale growers and retailers can plan plants, trays, bare root and finished goods through the Wholesale Hub. Plant programs include production lead times, quantity minimums and deposits appropriate to long crop cycles. Retail and private-label programs help shops extend a lavender collection without pretending every product was made in the back room during lunch.

Custom and private-label inquiries are not limited to large plant growers. The site provides public paths for relevant projects, while account status and order requirements determine pricing and terms.

Faith, stewardship and community

Our mission reaches beyond selling lavender. We work to grow responsibly, support other growers, build useful education, serve customers honestly and contribute to the local communities and agricultural networks around us.

The Prayer Field expresses the faith at the center of the farm. The Grower Community expresses another part of the same idea: people grow better when they are not left alone with every question.

Our guiding reminder remains Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Lavender is a very good plant, but it has never objected to perspective.

Where to begin

If you are a gardener, start with the USDA Zone Finder, Compare Cultivars and My Lavender Garden. If you are building a field, explore the Simulator, Field Planner, Care Academy and Wholesale Hub. If you want fragrance or a gift, shop the product collections. If you want to meet us in person, check Events. If you want the longer story and purpose behind the farm, visit Our Story and Our Mission.

Great Lakes Lavender Farm has grown far beyond 30 plants, but the essential work is unchanged: choose the right plant, prepare the ground, care for what is living and make something worth sharing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit Great Lakes Lavender Farm?

The Rockford farm is private and closed to unscheduled visitors. Attend a listed event or arrange an eligible local pickup before arriving.

Does Great Lakes Lavender Farm sell wholesale plants?

Yes. Programs include 72-cell trays, deep 20-cell trays, bare root and other formats subject to crop, minimums, lead time and eligibility.

When do live lavender plants ship?

Eligible live plants ship March 1 through May 31 and October 1 through November 30. Bare root ships March 1 through May 31. Summer live-plant shipping is paused.

What tools should a beginner use first?

Begin with USDA Zone Finder, Compare Cultivars, My Lavender Garden and Care Academy. The Lavender Farm Simulator and Field Planner are valuable for larger plans.

Keep exploring

• Shop All
• Live Plants and Plugs
• Wholesale Hub
• Private Label
• USDA Zone Finder
• Compare Cultivars
• My Lavender Garden
• Care Academy
• Lavender Farm Simulator
• Field Planner
• Grower Community
• Events
• Our Story
• Our Mission
• Prayer Field

Sources

• Great Lakes Lavender Farm: Original 2023 launch article
• Michigan State University Extension: Growing lavender in Michigan
• USDA: 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map
• FDA: Aromatherapy