Lavender Ridges

Lavender Ridges is an original illustration set in Provence, France. It lies in mid-latitudes, where the climate is mediterranean — hot dry summers, wet winters.

Curving parallel rows of purple flow over rolling hills, seen from high above. Pale chalky soil shows between every row. A small stone farmhouse with two slim cypresses sits among the fields under long summer evening light.

Why do the rows curve with the slope instead of running straight?

Rows curving with the contour rather than running straight down are erosion control on sloping ground. The pale soil is the real clue: lavender wants poor, alkaline, free-draining limestone soil and full sun — rich ground makes it leggy and short-lived. Chalky upland with hot dry summers is precisely the niche it occupies.

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