"Practices like this help the continual battle against bare soil by binding it, and preventing evaporation of precious water.

To fix nitrogen in the soil, Annemarie plants legumes between the lavender bushes. And she hopes for electric storms so that lightning can do the same thing.

Also visible between the Kroon’s rows of lavender are the white stones of natural lime deposits. This mineral, which occurs in the Karoo naturally and abundantly, provides lavender with the alkaline soil it needs to truly flourish. "A well-known lavender farmer from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands came to see our operation," recalls Annemarie. "He was aghast at the quantity of limestone in our soil – and we don’t have to pay for any of it!"