Pollywog Station Lavender Farm is 17 acres of natural beauty. Rich in historical context, the owners, Brian and Diane Kulback, along with their son Ryan Kulback, found inspiration in the original homestead. Their historical endeavor has kept Pollywog Station Lavender Farm alive and thriving to this day.
Diane talks about William Reynolds as the original homesteader and rancher. She shares, “He ranched cattle and grew potatoes, so we’re gonna have a potato field that we’re gonna grow, and people can help harvest the potatoes. Then there’s a root cellar that’s part of the old homestead. We would love to store the potatoes in the root cellar like they did.”
Brian and Diane’s passion for learning about the original homestead has opened the door for countless experts, archivists and historians to walk the land and share their insights and knowledge. They take in every detail with fervor and application.
Originally named after the train depot in Parker, Diane explains, “Pollywog Station’s name came from the train that would wiggle up Hilltop Road, heading towards Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Because it wiggled, the people who rode the train nicknamed it Polly. So, that’s how it got its name.”
Acquiring the land over 30 years ago, Brian and Diane intentionally stewarded the property in a way that held true to its history.
“We always wanted to open up the property to the community! Because we have the old homestead, people would stop in before we even started.” She continues, “We spent lots of time investigating and seeing how we could open it up. I went and visited 40 lavender farms in Colorado and Michigan. We wanted to see how they operated, and there are so many different types! We wanted ours more Zen, with a blend of history and pioneer life.”
When you visit, you get an array of experiences and activities. Diane describes, “It’s a wildlife corridor, it’s a homestead, it’s a lavender farm. We raise bees and chickens for fun!”
Open seasonally from June through September, Pollywog Station Lavender Farm hosts a series of events, tours and classes. You can also partake in The Homesteader’s Riddle, created by Ryan, and visit their gift shop.
He endeavors, “[With] 17 acres there’s a lot to see. We have all the different lavender fields, and the old house. [We want to] encourage people to walk around.That’s why we created a self-guided riddle. We also encourage guests to pick their own bundles of lavender. There are a bunch of different kinds of lavender. We grow two primary kinds. English lavender is for cooking, and then we have the more oil-based one that people associate with essential oils. We sell both.”
They also have bees on the property. Diane exclaims, “We’re all about the bees! They’re our partners in this. They’re really the MVPs of the farm because they really make it so that our lavender and native plants thrive. They make a huge difference.”
Centered around preservation and education, they partner with The Parker Chamber of Commerce, The Women’s Forum, The Parker Historical Society and more to continue to learn and grow in all the opportunities Pollywog Station Lavender Farm has to offer.
You can visit their website www.pollywogstationlavenderfarm.com and follow them on social @pollywogstationlavender