News and Events
Cultivating Peace
Myra Bonhage-Hale '57 grows prolific crops of lavender, peppermint, lemon balm and other herbs noted for medicinal and culinary uses, but more bountiful than the gardens of La Paix Herb Farm is the sense of peace that pervades her 110-acre homestead in central West Virginia.
The organic farm features display gardens, including feng shui and a seven-circle silver labyrinth, as well as swaths of herbs and an organic vegetable garden that feeds guests at the Stonewall Resort nearby. La Paix also contains a distillery, an aromatic shop and an education center offering workshops on culinary herbs, medicinal plants and garden sanctuaries. Here, apprentices learn about organic farming techniques: how to grow, harvest, manufacture and market natural products. Here, the annual Lavender Fair, held the last Saturday in June, celebrates the heritage of the land and the people who appreciate nature's gifts.
Bonhage-Hale, who holds a master's degree in social work, moved to the hills of West Virginia in 1981 to make a life that is tied to the land. Inspired by the French painter Monet to create lavish gardens, she began experimenting with plants. Lavender, an herb noted for its regulating effect on the nervous system, is distasteful to the local deer population, but highly prized by herbalists.
She secured a USDA sustainable grant to study what kind of lavender would grow in West Virginia's acid soil (she propagates the highly fragrant French Grosso); she did research on the efficacy of lavender in a hospital setting; and she traveled to France to learn about aromatherapy. "I really wanted to have a cooperative group growing vast quantities of lavender to support our own distillery for essential oils," she says. Instead, with her personal harvests, Bonhage-Hale distills hydrosols, or floral waters, she uses to make herbal products, which she offers for sale on the premises. Visit www.lapaixherbfarm.com.