Q&A with Pauline Livesey

Tucked along a quiet rural Waiuku road sits Leafy Hollow Lavender. Helena
O’Neill caught up with Pauline Livesey.

How long have you been running Leafy Hollow Lavender?

We came here more than 20 years ago … to start with, I was doing the lavender side of things in the evenings and weekends as I was teaching full-time. I think I went part-time teaching before moving to doing lavender full-time. I think it’s at least 10 years since I’ve been running the lavender farm full-time.

What do you enjoy about being The Lavender Lady?

We inherited a lavender collection here when we came here, as the previous owner had important lavender from all over the world. It was new to me because we had lived in Northwest England before moving here. It was wet, dark, and cold there, and lavender wasn’t something we saw a lot of.

It’s such a universal plant, and I didn’t know that when I started. I didn’t know there were so many varieties or how many uses there were for lavender. I had to learn on the job.

Do you have a favourite type of lavender?

I do have favourites, but not one particular variety. The English lavenders, the Lavandula angustifolia, are my favourites because the fragrances are so beautiful. We have about 60 different varieties of angustifolia here. One of my favourites is Midnight Velvet because we developed that here. It’s a cross between two angustifolia varieties and happened quite by accident. It’s one of the darkest angustifolias that I’ve seen; it’s very velvety and has a lovely fragrance.

We’re quite humid up here, so some people find it quite difficult to grow angustifolia. I find the varieties that have more open stems do well because they can get air flow around the stems. The angustifolia varieties you can also use the leaves and flowers in cooking, but only those types. It flowers all summer, then we harvest it for drying and for oil. It has such a sweet, calming fragrance.

Where do you do all this?

I have my own studio here for workshops, and also what I call my lab. I distil lots of different plants from the garden to make essential oils on site. Or I infuse them in organic sunflower oil to make an infusion.

How long have you been running workshops?

When I started being a full-time Lavender Lady, we were also selling plants – that was the major job, along with hosting large groups.

I did an organic skincare diploma, the workshops morphed from following recipes to developing my own formulas, making my own products and then teaching others how to make them. I use as much as I can from the garden in my products.

The workshops have been running for about 10 years and have now become a major part of the business instead of selling plants.

I see you’re hosting a workshop as part of the upcoming Flora Fest; can you tell me a bit about that?

I’ve been involved with Flora Fest for years. It’s a fantastic community event for everyone, not just those interested in flowers and plants. The workshops are always a great way to learn something new and be able to take something home that you’ve made at the festival.

Flora Fest

Flora Fest is an annual two-day event attended by around 1000 people. The event aims to celebrate all things botanical with a focus on including the community and people of all ages.

The festival will include the Franklin Rose Society Show, workshops, kids’ art, market stalls, and refreshments. Guest speakers will include Jack Hobbs, Lynda Hallinan, and Jacqui Knight. There is a $10 cover charge for one or all three of the speakers’ sessions; otherwise, entry to the festival is by koha. Workshops are $45 each.

This year’s theme is ‘Flower Power’, and local businesses are encouraged to become involved by putting together a floral or botanical exhibit that represents their business or service.

Organising committee member Di Roden said they aren’t looking for professional displays, just something that describes the business and encourages Flora Fest visitors to notice your business, shop locally and support our growing town of Waiuku.

• Flora Fest is held on November 14-15, from 10am to 4pm at St Andrews Centre, 85 Queen Street, Waiuku.