The pretty purple fields at Lavender Wind Farm off West Beach are a far cry from last year’s “bumper” crop.

Having lost around 2,000 plants to an overly wet winter, Lavender Wind Farm owner Sarah Richards said she’s had to adapt and reevaluate some uses for her land.

Richards and her staff have salvaged and replanted lavender in some areas of her farm. And some areas are being left empty for the time being or being used to plant other things.

While most of her plants survived the wet winter, Richards said she’s found that the dampness has still affected some of the remaining plants.

“Lavender likes it really dry in order to get that high yield of essential oil,” she said.

“We’re not getting that.”

The lavender being processed this season is bringing in about two-thirds of what it normally would.

“We’ve had a double whammy,” Richards said. “But that’s the farm life, you just gotta roll with it and keep going.

“I really learned a lot.”

As the farm gears up for its annual Lavender Wind Festival this weekend, Richards was evaluating which lavender plants needed to be harvested and which ones would remain to provide the signature backdrop visitors love to photograph during the festival.

One of the ways Richards has made use of areas currently not growing lavender is by planting sunflowers.

In one area of the farm, sunflower forts are growing and will provide a natural cover for children to play. She’s also planted a sunflower maze and in the farm end of the farm’s fields, she’s used a particularly wet area to grow more sunflowers for harvest.

“I was hoping some of them will bloom for this weekend,” Richards said Monday, but the plants still looked several weeks from blooming.

Richards’ festival runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday this weekend. It will feature artist booths, children’s activities, demonstrations, food and fun.

“The music this year is going to be really great,” Richards said. “We have some regulars, but we also have a band coming from Olympia.”

Musical performances include the Shifty Sailors, Jim Casteneda, Just In Time Jazz Duo, Budapest West, DB Jazz, Choro Tomorrow and Skinny Tie Jazz.

Visitors will dine on fare from Milepost 19 as well as the farm’s signature lavender treats.

The Pacific Northwest Art School will be operating the beer and wine garden, which will be set up near the entertainment stage.

Staff will be at the festival giving demonstrations on distilling the farm’s signature plant as well as assisting guests with various lavender crafts and projects.

And because the farm’s essential oil is aged for a year, visitors will have plenty of product to stock up on in the farm store from what Richards referred to as the “bumper crop” she had last year.

It’s next year she said she expects to sell out on the oils she harvests this year.

For a full schedule to this year’s Lavender Wind Festival, see the official guide on pages 11-14.