For Kristin O’Leary Orr , farmer and gardener extraordinaire at Quintessential Gardens at Fort Hill Farms in Thompson , going outside is not just a daily job requirement – it’s an “ impulsive necessity” she encourages in others . Fort Hill Farms , one of six Connecticut dairy farms that produce milk for The Farmer’s Cow , is much more than a dairy farm . It is home to more than 70 organically grown display gardens , blueberry fields , a yearlycorn maze that both entertains and educates and a woman who can just as easily bottle feed a new born calf as she can feed youthe Greek names of the flowers in her carefully cultivated nursery .

Many farmer’s wives grow flowers in their “ spare time , ” but Orr has taken it upon herself to carve out a new and unexpected niche in the local community , offering not just flowers or pick-yourown blueberries , but something more interesting . Fort Hill Farms is now known as one of the area’s only locations where visitors can indeed pick their own organically grown blueberries , but they can also walk a labyrinth of lavender and , if they so choose , cut their own herbal stems .

Lavender , a woody shrub more suited to a warmer climate , does not grow easily in New England , something Orr discovered when she planted her new crop in an open field and lost 72 lavender . Realization dawned and she rearranged what used to be used as a display area , inside 350 feet of the farm’s original cow barn foundation – 12-feet high stone walls offering a heat source just perfect for her purple plants . Underneath her periwinkle labyrinth – a maze , Orr explained , has an entrance and an exit while in a labyrinth the entrance is the exit – is 5 feet of stones . “ Lavender likes good drainage , ” she said .

Orr has a relationship with her lavender – the heady scent of the healing plant offering more than just headache relief , as she walks her labyrinth or thinks quietly while preparing the plant for drying . Each lavender was planted by hand , the holes dug with a pick axe , the labyrinth prepared traditionally as Orr , who studies Greek in the winter , explained . Labyrinth comes from the Greek word ‘ labrys’ – “ double-edged axe” or “ pick axe . ”

“ No adult left inside , ” laughed Orr with an air of seriousness . “ This is my lifelong dream … educating people about agriculture , showing people how close to the earth they can be . Getting people back in touch with nature . ”

Fort Hill Farms was recently voted “ Best Place to Go Nowhere” in Yankee Magazine – the publication cited the more than 70 gardens and recommended a visit to the labyrinth of lavender . There are more than 1 , 500 lavender plants steadily growing at the farm . Learn more and check out soothing lavender recipes at www . pickyourownlavender . com or stop by 260 Quaddick Road in Thompson . Quintessential Gardens at Fort Hill Farms & Gardens is open daily , sunrise to sunset , weather permitting . “ Lavender & lightning are not a good recipe , ” notes Orr , so please call ahead if inclement weather is expected . ( 860 ) -923-3439 .

“ July is definitely the best month for the color and the luscious scent , and the profuse blooms , ” writes Orr on her website , so make sure to pick yourlavender when it’s in season .