No apostrophe required because bees love lavender.
The ideal time to harvest lavender is early, early in the morning. When I rise just as the sun does, I find it’s just me, the lavender patch, the quiet that exists before the hum of the valley begins anew, and an intrepid bee or two. The bee arrives at the lavender patch in time with me and as if it has two purposes:
to welcome me to its aromatic bounty and to ensure I remember to share. We coexist nicely, the bee touching down here and there, leaving occasionally and then returning, perhaps bringing a colleague or two. It’s this way for about an hour, just before the sun fully rises beyond the local mountain range, and the bees begin to arrive in larger numbers. No worries, though. It’s all still a peaceful coexistence.
Over time, and as a symbolic gesture of goodwill and respect, I have developed the practice of never taking every bloom from any given plant. At least one flowered stem remains for the bees. Because bees love lavender.
