How a house paint choice lead to a thriving lavender business
by susanne hale photography by Cyndie and Peter rinek
Once upon a time , Blooming Hill Lavender Farm owners Cyndie Rinek and her husband Peter bought an old Victorian house to renovate in Silver Spring . They mortgaged it through the Maryland Historic Trust and picked what they thought was a refined gray called Queen Anne ’ s Lace for house paint only to find out it was really a lovely lavender hue . Peter ’ s mother took one look at the house and suggested that the couple plant lavender along the white picket fence . Cyndie bought her first six lavender plants from an ad in Parade magazine in the Sunday newspaper . In the beginning , she really knew nothing about lavender .
Cyndie soon discovered that she loved lavender , and bought a few more which Peter , a landscape architect , planner and certified arborist , helped her plant . Soon after completing the renovation of the Victorian home , however , Cyndie and Peter decided to move to the tiny hamlet of Philomont , Virginia . After seeing lavender bloom and thrive and coordinate so nicely with their first home , she was hooked : and thus began her journey into the world of lavender farming that she created in western Loudoun . And , she found color is not the only consideration when it comes to growing lavender . Soil and climate play very important roles , too . Since 1994 , Cyndie has been growing and tending her lavender field at Blooming Hill Lavender Farm which now showcases about 1,000 lavender plants .
On a recent visit to Blooming Hill , I had a wonderful time chatting with Cyndie . I was also welcomed and charmed by longtime resident Corgi Poppy , and newcomer Corgi Gemma , who was rescued in December .
The Early Years
Cyndie got a degree in journalism and sociology at the University of
wander I spring • summer 2023 7