About the Author
Paola Legarre has been passionate about gardening since she was a child and has worked in organic farming since 1995. Her studies in development and agricultural economics at UC Berkeley and food and agribusiness at the University of Santa Clara inspired her to pursue her farming and marketing interests further. Eventually leading her to start her own farm, Sage Creations, where she first planted lavender in 2006. As her lavender fields grew, Paola extended her product line to include essential oil, bath and body products, dried flowers, and lavender plant starts. She has been trialing different species and cultivars of lavender to see which are best suited to the Colorado climate and its different zones. The farm now has more than 6 acres in lavender production and grows and propagates four species and more than sixty different cultivars of lavender. Through Sage Creations, Paola teaches workshops and classes, and has mentored many lavender growers and home gardeners through the years. She is a founding member of the Colorado Lavender Association and has presented at workshops and conferences across the United States, including the US Lavender Growers Association conference. Paola and her Sage Creations Farm have been featured in regional and national publications and on television and radio, including on PBS and Colorado Public Radio. Paola lives and farms with her husband and two children in Palisade, Colorado.