How Emily Kirk’s vision for Lavender Mills Farm grew from 30 sprigs to a thriving hub for events and local partnerships.
By Janet Wilson
Live music drifts across lavender-scented fields as the sun slides down, painting the sky in purple, red and gold. Emily Kirk moves through the crowd with an easy smile, greeting guests who’ve travelled from near and far. Low wooden tables dressed in crisp white linens and gleaming glassware line the rows of lavender. Visitors in flowing summer dresses and flowered shirts settle onto cushions in the short grass. Charcuterie boards brim with local flavours while cocktails sparkle in the evening light.
This is Soiree in the Field—a signature event at Lavender Mills Farm—part concert, part community gathering, part summer night to remember.
Emily and her husband, Jeremy Kirk, co-own the charming 43-acre property in Oxford Mills, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa. At the heart is an 1839 stone farmhouse, its walls bearing the stories of the Beach family who once lived here. The family matriarch—103-year-old Lilah Beach—still shares memories of hearth and home. During a kitchen renovation, the Kirks uncovered a 10-foot brick-and-stone fireplace with a bread oven, hidden for decades.
“We’re restoring the house to honour its roots,” she says. “You can feel the past in the stone and thick log walls.”
Lavender wasn’t always the plan. The first sprigs were planted during the pandemic—just 30 to start—after an image popped up in Emily’s social media feed and sparked an idea. As the patch thrived, visitors began pulling into the driveway, asking to stroll the rows.
“We hadn’t considered agri-tourism,” Emily says, “but the field took on a life of its own. We had visitors from all over the world come to walk the fields and hang out for an afternoon.”
Thirty plants became hundreds, then thousands. Today, the farm nurtures 4,000 lavender plants across two acres. In July, the fields open for pick-your-own bundles, photography sessions, yoga and meditation, and private picnics.
Emily teaches entrepreneurship and English at North Grenville District High School in Kemptville, ON, and supports the ESL program. The farm gives her students a working case study. “They see me assessing ideas and figuring out supply and demand,” she says. “It’s proof you can reshape your life at any age.”
The couple’s two young children—Oliver, 10, and Cora, 8—help with soirees and learn the rhythms of the land. Products are simple and fragrant: Dried lavender buds, bouquets, hydrosol and oil. A mini farm shop opens in July with lavender goods and light bites. Dietary needs are managed with care—guests can flag preferences when they book.
For the soirees, Emily has partnered with three female-owned businesses—Honey Butter Boards, Drinks in Tow Mobile Bar and Services and Social Society Events—for food, beverages and decor.
Fall turns the farm into a study in orange, deep blue and bone-white. The pumpkin wall—a towering display of every size and hue—becomes a magnet for photographers and families. A vintage couch sits in front, ready for guests to sink in and snap the perfect seasonal photo. At the fall soiree, each guest leaves with a pumpkin, a small piece of the farm to take home. The five-acre patch is planted with 5,000 seeds and pumpkins are sold on an honour system where guests choose their favourite and leave payment at a farm stand. Photographers book the farm for clients from mid-June to October, chasing the golden hour through the rows.
Emily credits Oxford Mills and nearby Kemptville for rallying around female-led small businesses. Restaurateurs behind Ottawa’s Rabbit Hole and Crazy Horse Stonegrill Steakhouse & Saloon opened Goldwyn’s in Kemptville, joining the circle by sourcing lavender from the Lavender Mills Farm for a signature Lavender Haze cocktail. “Those partnerships matter,” says Emily. “They build brand identity for the whole region.”
The 39-year-old entrepreneur admits growing thousands of lavender plants isn’t always romantic. Last summer, she drove to southern Ontario to purchase more than 3,000 plants. A cooler spring made planting a lesson in patience as the ground resisted every shovel—until Emily and her children grabbed a drill to bore holes for thousands of lavender plants.
This summer, the Kirks plan to host the first local lavender festival at the farm on July 19 with lavender vendors, artisans and bakers among the rows. “We want people to feel welcome,” Emily says. “Come for the lavender and the view—and stay for the sense of belonging.”
With its historic farmhouse, fragrant fields and heartfelt gatherings, Lavender Mills Farm is more than a destination—it’s a story still unfolding.
Lavender Mills Farm is part of a blossoming movement in Eastern Ontario, alongside farms such as Lavande Braydale Lavender near Moose Creek, Lavenbel Farm in Alexandria, Lou Lou Lavender in Williamstown and Les Jardins Écologistes Grégoire near Embrun.
Planning a visit: Lavender Mills Farm, 2243 Beach Rd., Oxford Mills. For hours, event dates, ticket prices and to book soirees, yoga sessions or photo shoots, visit lavendermillsfarm.ca and soireeinthefield.com.
