Golden streams of light mingle with the warm tones of the fieldstone home that Niko Christou and David Braff share, then gently roll across the green pastures and purple ribbons of lavender beyond. Those purple ribbons are here because Niko became inspired during a trip to Provence five years ago. "The stone buildings and rolling hills reminded me of here," he says. "The lavender was so pretty, I thought I'd plant some."

Turns out that Bucks County's sandy soil is ideally suited to growing lavender, and the slope of Niko and David's land has natural drainage to prevent roots from rotting in standing water.

Today, what started on a whim has turned into a small business, Carousel Farm Lavender, which produces 100-percent-organic oils, soaps, and dried-flower products. They grow two French varieties of the plant, 'Grosso' and 'Provence,' and two English ones, 'Hidcote' and 'Munstead,' that don't mind Pennsylvania's cold winters.

Published: April 2008