I'd heard about Hvar's lavender before, but it was never something I felt compelled to seek out — that changed this summer, when I was asked to photograph a vow renewal there.

This isn't a history blog, but here's a brief back story: Commercial cultivation of lavender began in the early 20th century and peaking in the 1970's when at one point it was producing 8% of the world's lavender oil. Since then, wildfires and rural depopulation have led to a steep decline in what's cultivated.

What's left survives mostly in private plots or on the roadside between Velo Grablje and the village of Brusje. You can pull over and photograph from the road, but parking is limited — arrive early if you want a spot to yourself.

Go at the wrong time of year and you'll see nothing but dry stone walls, because while there is lavender on Hvar — as there is across most of the Dalmatian islands — I think the word "fields" oversells it. For me that conjures rows of lavender like you see in Provence, stretching towards the horizon.

Hvar is nothing like that. What survives are small plots, walled in by dry stone, protecting the plants from the wind. There are no sweeping lavender vistas, but these plots have their own quiet charm and walking through them, brushing past the plants underfoot, the scent stays with you long after you've left.

Also, the view across the Stari Grad Plain toward Brač is wonderful.

This isn't Provence. It doesn't need to be.

Timing matters more than almost anything else. Lavender blooms here from early June to early July, though peak colour shifts year to year depending on the weather — mid-to-late June is normally your safest bet if you're planning around it (see my guide to the best time of year to get married in Dalmatia for how this fits with the wider wedding season). By mid-July, the colour has largely gone, the scent remains.

Each year, in early July, Hvar holds a lavender festival over two to three days — with traditional harvesting demonstrations, workshops on lavender products and local food specialities (some flavoured with lavender, some not).

If you're travelling from Hvar Town or Stari Grad, the plots sit a short drive inland along quiet roads — best visited in the early morning or the last hour of light, both for softer photography light and to have the road largely to yourself.

If you're considering an elopement, vow renewal, or micro-wedding of up to ten guests in Hvar, and love the idea of lavender as your backdrop, get in touch. I know a couple of quiet spots away from the road — private, unhurried and just right for a small ceremony.

For more on the island's other intimate venues, see Best Intimate Wedding Venues in Hvar.