Lavender Living: Wellness Guides, Plant Care & Home Fragrance

Wellness guides, skincare, sleep, candle care and plant growing — written from our Waikato lavender farm.

Lavender Backyard Garden® has been growing Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' and Lavandula angustifolia 'Pacific Blue' on our farm at Marshmeadow Road, Newstead, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand since 2014. Our guides are written from direct farm experience by Ben and Samantha, who oversee every harvest, distillation, and formulation decision on-site. Our body care and wellness range is formulated by Tracey, a certified personal care and cosmetic specialist. Everything is made in small batches — grown, steam-distilled, and crafted on-site. We are not medical professionals. These guides share what we grow, make, and observe.

Natural Sleep Aid Guide

Our lavender sleep spray and sleep balm, magnesium body butter, lavender and chamomile herbal tea, and lavender eye pillow — the natural sleep aids we make on our Waikato farm, with guidance on how and when to use each one. Our Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' is harvested in early February and steam-distilled on-site, and its soft, floral scent is at the heart of our sleep range. Whether you find it hard to switch off at bedtime or NZ summer evenings stay light until 9pm, this guide covers it all.

Natural Sleep Aid Guide NZ →

Natural Skincare Guide

Natural skincare is the practice of nourishing skin with plant-based, non-synthetic ingredients — avoiding the petrochemicals, artificial fragrance, and preservatives found in conventional skincare. Our moisturisers, toners, body oils, and face care are formulated by Tracey, a certified personal care and cosmetic specialist, using Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' and Lavandula angustifolia 'Pacific Blue' steam-distilled on our Waikato farm since 2014. Written for NZ and Australian skin conditions — high UV, seasonal dryness, and wind exposure specific to our climate.

Natural Skincare Guide NZ →

Natural Candle Buying & Care Guide

A natural lavender candle is a soy or coconut wax candle scented with pure essential oil rather than synthetic fragrance — delivering linalool from Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' through inhalation during burning. Our candles are hand-poured in small batches in Waikato, New Zealand, using essential oil distilled on-site from our own spray-free fields since 2014. This guide covers how to choose between wax types, the difference between essential oil and fragrance oil candles, how to burn correctly to avoid tunnelling, and how to extend your candle's life.

Natural Candle Care Guide NZ →
Two Eucalyptus, Rosemary & Lavender Sachets held by hand against a vibrant purple lavender field at Lavender Backyard Garden.

Natural Air Freshener Guide

A natural air freshener scents your home with dried lavender or essential oil instead of synthetic fragrance. This guide compares our lavender sachets, room and linen sprays, reed diffuser, aroma stones and wax melts, made from Lavandula × intermedia ‘Super’ grown, air-dried and steam-distilled on our Waikato farm since 2014, with how long each one lasts and when to use it.

Natural Air Freshener Guide NZ →

Which Lavender Living Guide Is Right for You?

Guide What It Covers Best For Start Here If...
Natural Sleep Aid Guide Linalool, magnesium, chamomile apigenin, and eye therapy — how each works and when to use it Difficulty falling asleep, racing thoughts, restless nights You want a non-pill approach to winding down at night
Natural Skincare Guide Moisturisers, toners, body oils and face care formulated for NZ and Australian skin conditions Dry skin, UV exposure, building a simple natural skincare routine You want to switch from synthetic skincare to plant-based products
Candle Care Guide Wax types, essential oil vs fragrance oil, burn time, tunnelling prevention, jar reuse Home fragrance, mindful living, gifting natural candles You want clean-burning candles that deliver real aromatherapy benefit
Plant Care Guide Soil conditions, pruning timing (after flowering for Pacific Blue, early April for Super), harvest techniques, variety selection for NZ gardens Growing lavender in NZ, pruning after flowering, drying at home You have lavender in your garden or want to grow it in NZ conditions

Lavender Living

Lavender Living: Your Questions Answered

What is Lavender Living?

Lavender Living is Lavender Backyard Garden®'s collection of wellness and lifestyle guides written from our small-batch lavender farm in Newstead, Waikato, New Zealand. The guides cover natural sleep aids, lavender skincare, candle care, and lavender plant growing — all based on what we grow, steam-distil, and make on our farm since 2014 using Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' and Lavandula angustifolia 'Pacific Blue'.

What is the difference between Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' and Lavandula angustifolia?

Lavandula × intermedia 'Super' is our main farm variety — a lavandin with a full, rich scent and high linalool content. We use it for our dried lavender flowers, lavender sachets and essential oil, and in our body care, sleep and skincare products. On our Waikato farm it starts flowering in mid December and we harvest it in early February. Lavandula angustifolia 'Pacific Blue' is our English lavender, used for our dried flowers and culinary products such as herbal teas and lavender jams. We steam-distil both varieties on-site.

Are your wellness guides written by qualified people?

Our guides are written from direct farm experience by Ben and Samantha, who have grown and harvested lavender on our Waikato farm since 2014. Our body care and wellness content is informed by Tracey, a certified personal care and cosmetic specialist who formulates our skincare and sleep range on-site. We are not medical professionals — our guides share what we grow, make, and observe, not medical advice.

Which guide should I read first for better sleep in New Zealand?

Start with our Natural Sleep Aid Guide — it covers our lavender sleep spray and sleep balm, magnesium body butter for a legs-and-feet massage, lavender and chamomile herbal tea, and our lavender eye pillow. Each one is explained with when and how to use it, including tips for NZ summer evenings when light persists until 9–9:30pm from November to February.

Do your skincare guides apply to Australian skin conditions too?

Yes — our Natural Skincare Guide is written for both NZ and Australian skin conditions. The UV intensity, wind exposure, and seasonal dryness patterns across NZ and Australia are similar enough that the same guidance applies. We deliver within New Zealand only; Australian customers can shop a selection of our range through our Etsy store.

Where are Lavender Backyard Garden® products made?

Every product linked from our Lavender Living guides is made on our farm at Marshmeadow Road, Newstead, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand. We grow two lavender varieties on-site, steam-distil our essential oil on-site, and hand-blend every product in small batches. No imported lavender oil is used in any product. Everything is traceable from field to finished product.

Can I visit the Lavender Backyard Garden® farm?

Yes — our farm in Newstead, Waikato is open to visitors from late November to the end of January. You can pick your own lavender all season, and pick-your-own blueberries usually run from late December until the first few days of January, depending on the crop. Visit our Farm Experience pages for hours, admission, and seasonal activity information.

Ready to bring lavender home? Browse our natural lavender body and home products, or see how each one is made on our farm in small batches.