It's Bloom Time at Lavender by the Bay on the North Fork

Visitors are seeing purple at Lavender by the Bay, which is at its most spectacular this time of year. 

The lavender farm, which is owned by the Rozenbaum family, features acres and acres of English lavender and French lavender at two North Fork locations — in East Marion and Calverton. The English lavender blooms and flowers in mid-June, while the French lavender is typically at its height in early July.

Because more of the acreage at both locations is devoted to French lavender, the French bloom affords the most stunning vistas, according to co-owner Chanan Rozenbaum, whose parents, Susan and Serge Rozenbaum, founded Lavender by the Bay 21 years ago.

Chanan Rozenbaum grew up coming out to his parents’ second home in Southold.

“My dad, who was born in Paris and grew up in the south of France, always had a green thumb,” Rozenbaum says. “Our Southold place was located on a dune, and he tried many plantings, but nothing would grow there. Then he had the idea to plant lavender, and it flourished. So he kept planting lavender.”

Rozenbaum’s mother, who was an art teacher in the New York City public schools at the time, began making floral arrangements and sachets with the lavender.

“We would put the products out for sale outside our house, go to the beach for the day, and then we would come back and there might be $20 there — it was the honor system,” Rozenbaum recalls.

The family bought 17 acres in East Marion and officially launched Lavender by the Bay in 2002. They started out by planting one of the acres with lavender, then another, and then another, until the entire farm was blanketed with the colorful herb. The family also set up a farmstand to sell various products, from lavender sachets and pillows to essential oils to fresh and dried lavender bunches.

“The farm is magnificent when the lavender’s blooming, and people started coming out to take pictures and just be one with the land,” Rozenbaum says. “We wound up going viral on social media, and more people came.”

In 2018, the Rozenbaums added a second location on 30 acres in Calverton.

“I would say East Marion is more intimate, and Calverton is more expansive,” Rozenbaum says. “Calverton is becoming more popular because it’s closer to the city.”

To manage high demand at this time of year, Lavender by the Bay sells timed tickets online, which allow visitors to spend 90 minutes in the fields. (Tickets are not required to visit the farmstand.) The English and French blooms last from about two to two-and-a-half weeks each. In order to create more beautiful fresh and dried lavender bunches, the plants are harvested throughout the bloom; therefore, if you come later in the bloom, there will be less lavender in the fields to view. In addition to the two main blooms, there’ s a third, much smaller bloom in late summer/early fall.

Tickets during the English bloom are $7 in East Marion and $9 in Calverton (both plus tax).

During the more spectacular French bloom, which is now underway, tickets are $14 plus tax in either location.

The East Marion location is open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., while the Calverton farm is open 9 a.m –6 p.m. daily. Fields at both locations close at 5:30 p.m. 

Lavender by the Bay is located at 7540 Main Road, East Marion, 631-477-1019; and at 47 Manor Road, Calverton, 631-381-0730. For more info, visit lavenderbythebay.com.