The Paradise Lavender Farm, in Cresco, PA, is a beautiful and peaceful place waiting to be discovered by those who love gardens or are seeking a unique day trip in the heart of the Pocono Mountains.
Linda Ross Besecker, the owner, said her love of lavender started at an early age, when her grandfather started Ross and Ross nursery across the street and sold herbs, including lavender, her favorite. After retiring from teaching, she attended some lavender festivals and learned more about the plants.
A friend, who loved purple, had left her land 10 years earlier, and she decided to use it to create a lavender farm. Its mission is “to create a place of calmness surrounded by rows of purple aromatic beauty from the lovely lavender plant.”
The farm has 540 violet-hued lavender plants growing in about a dozen long rows in a large, grass field. There are up to 12 different varieties, and visitors can pick their own lavender.
To experience the fields, you need to use all your senses—sight, sound and smell. The fragrant spikey blossoms had a light floral scent, with a crisp herbal quality. Some of the lavender flowers were buzzing with bees collecting nectar. There were white wicker chairs, benches, and seating areas to enjoy the lovely view. A white gazebo and tent were off to the side for events such as weddings, tea parties, and birthdays. There is also a lavender farm store which sells all things lavender, including plants, dried lavender, health products and ice cream.
When asked about some of the challenges she faced with the farm, Linda said, “This year we had a lot of winter damage and we had to cut some plants out, but what was left of them still bloomed and came back. Every year, seeing what happens from Mother Nature is the biggest challenge.”
When asked which varieties were cold hardy, she replied that Hidcote and Munstead were the standbys for northeast PA. She recommended that people experiment with a couple of different varieties and see what does well. She advised giving them at least six hours of sun and not to overwater them. Lavender is deer resistant and drought tolerant.
The peak flowering period for lavender at the farm is mid-June through the end of July. Sometimes there is a second bloom at the end of August. Admission to the farm is $5 and includes the “Enchanted Fairy Forest” (see below). “Pick your own lavender” costs $9 per bunch, and ends the beginning of August, depending on the weather. For more information, check paradiselavenderfarm@gmail.com or call 570/269-8206. Their address is 5822 Paradise Valley Road, Cresco, PA.
Paradise Lavender Farm also has an "Enchanted Fairy Forest," which has broad appeal for all ages but is particularly fun for children. The forest changes every year.
The farm also has a charming “Enchanted Fairy Forest.” It has broad appeal for all ages but is particularly fun for children. Linda drew on her background as an elementary school teacher to develop the fairy forest and it is changed every year. This year, it has a long, shaded walking path through the woods past fairies, gnomes, and their homes in around two dozen imaginative settings. These areas are grouped together by themes including music, a tea party, a fairy bedroom and houses, unicorns, frogs, birds, and yoga. Along the way, children can also play games, create fairy and gnome crafts, and fill bags given out in the farm store with small prizes found in buckets.
Walking through the fairy forest is a magical or sentimental journey for those young and old. Linda said, “My favorite memory is about a lady who came from Poland, she had tears in her eyes, she thanked me and she said, ‘I walked in as an 80-year-old, and I came out as an eight-year-old.’”
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Also in Cresco is Essiem’s Apiary, owned by Anthony Essiem, which specializes in making a wide variety of craft honey meads and wines.
Essiem experiments with different fruits to make uniquely flavored meads such as blueberry, black currant, banana, coffee, cranberry, hibiscus, mango, and jalapeno. He also uses lavender from the Paradise Lavender Farm to make honey sweetened lavender wine.
Anthony Essiem won an award on Saturday, 7/18, for Best Winery at the 2026 Selinsgrove Brewfest.
Also in Cresco is Essiem’s Apiary, owned by Anthony Essiem, which specializes in making a wide variety of craft honey meads and wines. Essiem is also a beekeeper and has around 25 hives of Italian bees that he uses to make honey for his beverages. He experiments with different fruits to make uniquely flavored meads such as blueberry, black currant, banana, coffee, cranberry, hibiscus, mango and jalapeno. He also uses lavender from the Paradise Lavender Farm to make honey sweetened lavender wine.
His sweet mead is delicious and offers a smooth, honey flavor with subtle hints of fruit and spices. Many reviewers (4.8 rating on Google) said his meads and wines were high quality and among the best they had ever tasted. He sells many of his products at wine and blueberry festivals. To order, call or text 571/991-1154, or online at https://share.google/4Gflq9maS9ZTeWlAy.
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