Tucked amidst a ring of mountains in the picturesque Ojai Valley, rests a cluster of breathtaking family gardens. The Varney family established Ojai Lavender and Rose Company in 2003 as a way to share their love of gardening with others. Alisa and Steve, along with their three children, tend numerous themed gardens, lavender fields, large orchards and an expansive rose garden. Visitors who tour these exquisite gardens, typically describe the surroundings as peaceful and relaxing.
Guests particularly enjoy meandering through the maze of fragrant garden rose bushes-most of them David Austins' English Roses with scents reminiscent of your grandmother's rose garden. Alisa has also included French varieties, all of which reflect old world charm. Those who stroll down the olive and rose-lined path toward the formal rose garden are treateed to the aroma of citrus, myrrh, almonds, honey, musk, peaches and apricots. The romance of the rose is alive and well at Ojai Lavender and Rose Company.
While the gardens styles range from formal to wild and natural, guests are often surpised to learn each of them is carefully planned. Alisa, a certified horticulturist, designs the garden areas before planting. Steve adds to the intrigue throughout the property by building pathways and bridges connecting the gardens and by constructing trellises and interesting fencing to highlight and showcase certain planted patches.
Lanes meander past colorful seasonal gardens, a moonlight garden featuring silver and white flowering plants, a red and orange garden, a yellow flowering garden, and the newest California native and cactus area. Just south of the kids' playhouse, visitors often notice twin vegetable potagers tucked behind thirty-six espalier apple and pear trees.
Guests crossing the main bridge to the east will discover an orchard featuring 150 heirloom fruit trees including the Spitzenburg, which was Thomas Jefferson's favorite eating apple.
The formal herb garden flourishing just outside the workshop is also a popular stop. Many people enjoy the opportunity to learn from the demonstration herb gardens, such as the Italian, beverage, dried flower/potpourri, and edible flower gardens. Most guests are also interested in some of the unusual vegetables and flowers growing on the property, especially the Christmas lima beans and milk pumpkins. Alisa is a lifetime member of the Seed Savers Exchange. The flowers and vegetables that she starts from seed are mostly heirloom or open pollinated varieties.
The Varney's gardens have flowers in all sizes, shapes and fragrances and plants in all shades, textures and scents. Many of them attract wildlife. Visitors frequently stop just to listen to the humming of bees in the lavender. They watch as numbers of butterflies flit and flutter from one flower to the next. And they especially enjoy observing hummingbirds gathering their daily supply of nectar. Occasionally roadrunners and quail will make an appearance.
While Ojai Lavender and Rose Company is fairly new, it had its beginnings years ago as a vision in a child's head. Alisa has always been interested in gardening and desirous of sharing the labors of her love. In fact, she planted her first garden when she was just 7 years old. She dug up an area of her mother's rear lawn where she planted seeds and even created a child's idea of a lake. And then she donned her coonskin cap, invited the neighborhood kids over and charged them a penny each to tour her garden.
When other children were reading comic books, Alisa was studying books on landscape design. When her friends were drawing horses and cars, Alisa drew garden plans. And her desire to grow things only escalated with time.
Alisa had her first real garden after purchasing a house when she was just 19 years old. The garden was postage stamp size, but she made the most of her space. Being on a strict budget then, she bought geraniums in four-inch pots and cut them into pieces to make more plants. These, she planted all over her yard creating a lovely quality to her property.
Years after Alisa and Steve were married, they wanted their children to have open spaces in which to grow. In 1998, they bought 8.5 acres in Ojai, California. The property included a rundown vintage farmhouse, which was being sold as a tear down. Instead, the Varneys went to work restoring it, which meant putting off planting the gardens. There was way too much work to be done before the planting could begin.
Three years later, after filling numerous full-sized dumpsters and recycling everything they could, the Varneys were finally ready to start improving their land. Steve built the kid's playhouse with recycled lumber. He constructed a bridge and lined the driveway with long forgotten timbers he found lying under the overgrowth. And Alisa was able to start planting her gardens.
If flowers express joy, the Varney's land is extremely happy these days. Everywhere your eyes wander, you'll see beauty. For Alisa, her garden is her palette. With a background in ornamental horticulture, fine art and theater, it's no wonder that Alisa's gardens are viewed as displays of art. She even had Steve paint their home in the colors that Carl Larsson used on his home (green and rust) and the playhouse is painted the same shade as Monet's home (pink and green).
The Varneys were finally ready to open their gardens to the public in the summer of 2004. They held their first garden festival in June and it was an extremely successful event. They had just completed construction on their large workshop, which Alisa designed and stocked. Hundreds of people came to hear lectures, watch demonstrations and tour the gardens. And they continue to come and experience the gardens and to learn more about simple and creative gardening.
