10 Things to Do During Lavender Festival Weekend in Madison County
Our Lavender Festival is more than an epic visit to the farm. It's the perfect excuse for a weekend getaway in beautiful Madison County, Iowa.
While you're enjoying the blooming lavender fields at PepperHarrow, we invite you to explore the charming shops, cafés, restaurants, and attractions that make our community so special. From unique shopping experiences and delicious local food to historic landmarks and scenic parks, there is plenty to discover before and after your visit to the farm.
The Lavender Trail
This year, several local businesses are joining in the Lavender Festival fun by offering special lavender-inspired products, treats, displays, and promotions throughout festival weekend.
As you explore Madison County, be sure to stop by participating locations including:
Along the way at these stops, you may discover:
Lavender-inspired menu items and treats
Special lavender products and gifts
Lavender-themed clothing, décor, and unique finds
Complimentary lavender surprises at select locations
Beautiful lavender-themed window displays throughout town
It's the perfect way to continue the lavender experience while supporting the wonderful local businesses that help make Madison County such a special destination.
Start Your Morning on the historic town Square
Begin your day with coffee and a fresh pastry from Petite Café, located right on the historic Winterset Square and after breakfast, spend some time strolling through the square's charming boutiques, museums, gift shops, antique stores, galleries, and specialty retailers. The square is one of Iowa's most picturesque downtown districts and offers plenty of opportunities to discover something unique.
Visit the Lavender Fields
Of course, the centerpiece of your weekend is Lavender Festival at PepperHarrow Farm. Starting at 9:00AM each day and ending at 3:00PM, wander through thousands of blooming lavender plants, enjoy artisan vendors, demonstrations, food and beverages, shopping, flower crown making, scavenger hunt, and stunning photo opportunities throughout the farm.
Our fields are surrounded by rolling countryside, making it the perfect place to slow down, breathe deeply, and experience the beauty of summer in Iowa. Bring along a blanket or folding chair, a good book, and relax and take it all in.
Enjoy Lunch, Dinner, and Local Drinks
At the festival, grab a coffee from The Bean, Freeboard Coffee Co for breakfast and lunch from Chick-Fil-A, a pre-ordered lunch from Tangerine Food Company. Need a fun, sweet treat? The Outside Scoop, Marie Bakes, or Prairie Rose Desserts are great places to stop and get your fix.
Or, after your visit to the farm, continue your adventure with some of Madison County's favorite dining destinations. Enjoy a meal and local beverages at restaurants around the Winterset Square, or venture out to one of our local wineries, where you can relax with a glass of wine while enjoying the scenic countryside.
Breakfast, Coffee & Lunch
Petite Cafe — Coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and light lunch options. A perfect stop before heading to the farm.
Harvest Market — A great option for breakfast or lunch on the Winterset square, featuring fresh-made meals and local products.
Lunch, Dinner & Drinks
The Drift — One of Winterset's most popular gathering spots, serving craft beer, wine, cocktails, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and Sunday brunch.
Urban On The Square — A cozy downtown restaurant known for elevated comfort food and seasonal menu offerings. Great for lunch or a relaxed dinner.
Mi Pueblito — A local favorite for Mexican cuisine, including fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, and margaritas.
China Cafe — Offers Chinese and Vietnamese dishes with generous portions and quick service.
Casual Family Dining
Urban Taproom and Grill — Family-friendly atmosphere with brick oven pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and craft beer.
The Sports Page — Casual American fare with a sports-bar atmosphere.
A Fun Local Classic
Frostee's — A classic Iowa drive-in known for tenderloins, burgers, onion rings, ice cream, malts, and summer treats.
Lavender themed beverages from the Petite Cafe.
Explore the Covered Bridges
No visit to Madison County would be complete without seeing the famous Covered Bridges of Madison County.
Known as Iowa's covered bridge capital, Madison County is home to six historic covered bridges that draw visitors from around the world. These iconic landmarks provide beautiful photo opportunities and offer a glimpse into the area's rich history.
Photo courtesy of Explore Madison County
Get Outside and Explore
If you're looking to spend more time outdoors, visit some of Madison County Conservation’s beautiful parks and trails.
Pammel State Park offers scenic hiking trails, limestone bluffs, shaded picnic areas and be sure to check out the new Conservation Center.
Another option is to check out Winterset City Park, which features the historic Clark Tower, the Cutler-Donahoe Covered Bridge, hedge maze, stone bridge, and an award-winning inclusive playground.
Note: the main entrance to Pammel State Park is closed, so you will need to enter from an alternate route from Hwy 169 to Carver Road.
It's a wonderful way to experience the natural beauty that makes this area so beloved.
Discover Local History
History enthusiasts won't want to miss two of Winterset's most popular attractions.
Visit the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum to learn about one of America's most famous actors, born right here in Winterset. Then stop by the Iowa Quilt Museum, which showcases incredible textile artistry and rotating exhibits from quilters across the country.
Also, check out The Carver Park. It was dedicated 25 years ago to memorialize the inspiring story of this well-known American citizen. This little pocket park stands next to the former hotel where he worked (which is now the Winterset Fire Station) and includes a memorial marker, five new interpretive panels, picnic benches, and a short walkway.
Make It a Weekend to Remember
Whether you're visiting for a few hours or planning a full weekend getaway, Lavender Festival offers the perfect opportunity to experience everything Madison County has to offer.
From fragrant lavender fields and charming local shops to historic landmarks, delicious food, and scenic countryside, we hope you'll take some time to explore beyond the farm and discover why so many visitors fall in love with this special corner of Iowa.
We'll see you in the lavender fields!
XX Jenn + Adam
The Best Flowers for a Cottage Garden
There is something magical about a cottage garden overflowing borders, flowers spilling onto pathways, buzzing pollinators, and armfuls of blooms ready for the vase. It's a garden style that feels both effortless and abundant.
At PepperHarrow, cottage gardens hold a special place in our hearts. While the look may seem casual, the most beautiful cottage gardens are thoughtfully planted with flowers that provide fragrance, texture, and blooms throughout the entire growing season.
If you're dreaming of creating your own cottage garden, here are some of our favorite flowers to include and the ones we grow right here in the fields of Madison County.
What Makes a Cottage Garden?
Traditional cottage gardens combine ornamental flowers, herbs, and flowering shrubs in a relaxed, layered design. Rather than neat rows and formal plantings, cottage gardens embrace abundance. Plants intermingle, bloom times overlap, and every corner offers something beautiful to discover.
The cottage garden beds at PepperHarrow in full midsummer bloom.
Star of the Late Summer Garden
Dahlias
Few flowers provide the drama and volume of dahlias. From dinner-plate blooms to delicate ball varieties, dahlias bring months of flowers from midsummer until the first frost and they produce armloads of blooms for bouquets along the way.
Left: Our beloved Café au Lait dahlia. Right: A late-summer armful from the dahlia field.
Fragrance, Beauty & Pollinator Power
Lavender
No cottage garden feels complete without lavender and it's at the heart of everything we do at PepperHarrow. With more than 18,000 plants across 13 acres, we've seen firsthand how lavender anchors a landscape while softening every edge around it.
Plant lavender along pathways where visitors can brush against the blooms and carry that signature scent with them. It pairs beautifully with roses, cosmos, and any soft-toned perennial.
Our lavender fields in bloom the heart of PepperHarrow each June.
Effortless Beauty
Cosmos
Cosmos embody everything we love about cottage gardens. Their delicate, feathery foliage and dancing blooms create movement and softness throughout the landscape. They're incredibly easy to grow from seed and bloom generously for months, drawing butterflies all season long.
Vertical Interest & Early Color
Snapdragons
Snapdragons provide the upright spires that help create the layered look cottage gardens are known for. Blooming in a wide range of shades, they fill the gap between spring and summer flowers and make outstanding bouquet additions one of our most-requested stems at the Des Moines Farmers Market.
A midsummer bouquet from the PepperHarrow cutting gardens.
Classic Cottage Elegance
Delphinium
Few flowers capture the traditional cottage garden aesthetic quite like delphinium. Tall spires of blue, lavender, pink, or white create dramatic focal points and pair beautifully with roses and peonies. They thrive in the cooler temperatures of an Iowa spring and bring a touch of old-world charm to the garden.
A Springtime Showstopper
Peonies
Peonies are beloved for their lush, full blooms and incredible fragrance. Though their season is short, few flowers make a bigger impact in late spring. Their large blossoms pair beautifully with other cottage garden favorites, and they produce some of the most stunning cut flowers you can bring into the home.
Colorful & Productive
Zinnias
If you're looking for flowers that bloom all summer long, zinnias deserve a prominent spot in your garden. They thrive in Iowa's hot summers and reward gardeners with continuous color until frost. We grow Queen Series zinnias here at PepperHarrow for their exceptional stem length and bloom size.
Our Queen Series zinnias and a Madison County sunset that's hard to beat.
Planning for Blooms All Season
The secret to a truly great cottage garden is succession layering flowers with different bloom periods so something beautiful is always happening. Here's how we think about the season at PepperHarrow:
- Peonies
- Sweet Peas
- Delphiniums
- Ranunculus
- Lavender
- Snapdragons
- Delphiniums
- Lisianthus
- Cosmos
- Zinnias
- Dahlias
- Sunflowers
- Dahlias
- Cosmos
- Zinnias
- Amaranth
Fall harvest bouquets from the PepperHarrow fields dahlias, cosmos, and seasonal foliage.
Bringing the Cottage Garden Home
The best cottage gardens aren't perfectly manicured. They're alive with pollinators, overflowing with blooms, and filled with flowers that invite you to slow down and enjoy the season.
Whether you're planting a small border or transforming an entire landscape, incorporating flowers like dahlias, lavender, cosmos, snapdragons, peonies, and zinnias will help you create the romantic, abundant garden you've always imagined. By choosing for succession spring bulbs into summer annuals into fall dahlias your garden stays vibrant from the last frost all the way to the first.
Happy gardening from all of us at PepperHarrow nestled on the bluffs above the Middle River Valley in Winterset, Iowa.
Visit Us at the Farm
Come experience the cottage garden in person. Join us for a workshop, pick your own bouquet, or browse our seasonal lavender products we'd love to see you.
Explore Events & Classes
The Best Flowers for Container Gardening
Container gardening is a great way to bring color and beauty to your outdoor space, even if you don't have a lot of room or soil to work with. But with so many different types of flowers to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide which ones are the best for container gardening. Here are some easy tips for selecting the best flowers for your container garden!
Choose flowers that are suitable for your climate and growing conditions. Different types of flowers have different temperature and light requirements, so it's important to choose flowers that will thrive in your specific location.
Consider the size and growth habit of the flowers. Make sure to choose flowers that will fit in the size and shape of your containers, and that won't outgrow their space too quickly.
Choose flowers that have a long blooming season. This will help to keep your container garden looking vibrant and colorful for longer. Some good options include annuals, such as petunias or marigolds, or perennials, such as daisies or black-eyed susans.
Select flowers that are low maintenance. Container gardens can require a bit more attention than in-ground gardens, so it's important to choose flowers that are easy to care for. Some good options include succulents, herbs, and hardy annuals.
Don't be afraid to mix and match. One of the great things about container gardening is that you can get creative and mix and match different types of flowers to create a unique and beautiful display. Just make sure to choose flowers that have similar growing requirements.
We hope these are helpful to y’all when trying to find plants that work best in containers. Happy gardening!
XX Jenn + Adam
How to Grow Lupine From Seed: A Step-by-Step Guide
Lupine is a magical garden bloom that instantly transports you to a meadow in full bloom. With tall spires of color ranging from soft pastels to vibrant purples, pinks, and blues, lupine adds structure, pollinator value, and a cottage-garden look.
While you can purchase plant starts, growing lupine from seed is surprisingly simple and incredibly rewarding. With just a few easy steps, you can encourage strong germination and enjoy healthy plants for years to come.
Here’s how to successfully grow lupine from seed!
Why Grow Lupine From Seed?
Starting lupine from seed is so easy and it’s a great way to cost effectively include these unique blooms into your garden. Seeds often provide access to a broader range of colors than nursery plants, and they allow gardeners to grow large drifts of lupine in a very cost-effective way. Plants grown from seed also develop strong taproots right from the beginning, which helps them establish well in the garden.
Lupine also offers an added benefit for the soil. As a nitrogen-fixing plant, it naturally helps improve soil health by adding nitrogen back into the ground, which can benefit neighboring plants as well.
When to Plant Lupine Seeds
Lupine seeds can be planted either outdoors or indoors, depending on your gardening preference and climate. We start ours indoors in early spring for zone 5b, around March 1st. Some flower growers will may also sow lupine directly outdoors in early spring once the soil can be worked. Another excellent option is planting seeds in late fall so they can experience natural cold stratification over winter, but you can only do this if you live in a warmer climate, zone 7 and above.
Preparing Lupine Seeds for Germination
Lupine Seedling
Lupine seeds have a tough outer coating, which can sometimes slow germination. Preparing the seeds before planting helps water penetrate the shell and encourages more consistent sprouting.
One common method is scarification, where the seed coat is gently nicked or lightly rubbed with sandpaper. This allows moisture to reach the interior of the seed more easily. Instead of scarification, we typically will soak the seeds in warm water for twelve to twenty-four hours before planting to loosen the outer shell, but either of these methods will significantly improve germination rates.
Planting Lupine Seeds
Lupine plants develop a long taproot, so it’s helpful to give them space to grow properly from the start. Seeds can be planted in pots with well-draining soil or directly in the garden bed.
Plant the seeds about a quarter to half an inch deep and water them gently after planting. If sowing outdoors, space seeds roughly twelve to eighteen inches apart to allow room for mature plants. Keep the soil lightly moist while seeds are germinating, but avoid overly wet conditions.
With the right conditions, germination typically occurs within two to three weeks.
Light and Temperature Needs
Lupine seeds tend to germinate best in cooler temperatures. Conditions between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal during the germination stage.
Once seedlings emerge, they benefit from bright light and good airflow. If you’re starting them indoors, placing them near a sunny window or under grow lights will help them develop strong stems and healthy growth.
Transplanting Lupine Seedlings
Because of their deep taproot, lupine seedlings prefer minimal root disturbance. If you start seeds indoors, it’s best to use deeper containers so roots have room to develop.
Seedlings are typically ready to transplant once they have two to three sets of true leaves. When moving them into the garden, handle them carefully and try to disturb the roots as little as possible. Choose a location that receives full sun or light afternoon shade.
Soil and Water Requirements
Lupine grows best in soil that drains well and is slightly acidic to neutral. Unlike many garden plants, lupine does not require especially rich soil and actually prefers conditions that aren’t heavily fertilized.
During the establishment stage, consistent watering helps young plants settle in. Once mature, lupine becomes relatively drought tolerant. The most important thing is to avoid soggy soil, which can lead to root rot.
Pollinators Love Lupine
Beyond its beauty, lupine is a wonderful plant for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects are naturally drawn to the nectar-rich blooms.
Planting lupine alongside other cottage-garden favorites creates a vibrant habitat that supports pollinators throughout the growing season.
Whether planted in garden beds, woven into a cutting garden, or naturalized through a meadow planting, lupine brings height, color, and a touch of wild beauty to the landscape.
Growing it from seed takes a little longer than the instant gratification of starting from an established plant, but once those tall flower spikes appear, the reward is well worth the wait!
How to Water Lisianthus Seedlings
Lisianthus seedlings require careful watering to prevent root rot and encourage strong growth. Here’s the simple bottom-watering method we use at PepperHarrow Farm to keep lisianthus plugs healthy and thriving.
Lisianthus is a gorgeous bloom that just needs a little extra TLC. We start many of our plants from seed, but some arrive as tiny plant babies called plugs.
To keep them hydrated and healthy, we use a simple bottom-watering method that encourages strong root development. It’s easy, effective, and works whether you’re growing a few trays in your garden or hundreds for a cutting field.
I recently shared a video across our social channels showing exactly how I water our lisianthus seedlings. Below is the same process we use here on the farm.
Lisianthus seedlings behave a bit differently than many other flowers. Early on they grow slowly, which means they don’t use water very quickly. If the soil stays constantly wet, it can lead to stalled growth or root rot. They also prefer to keep their foliage dry, since wet leaves and crowns can increase the risk of fungal disease. Because of this, we’ve found bottom watering to be the best approach.
When it’s time to water, I fill a wheelbarrow with about five gallons of water and add half a cup of fish fertilizer. The fish fertilizer provides a gentle nutrient boost while the seedlings are developing their root systems.
Next, I submerge the tray of lisianthus plugs into the wheelbarrow, making sure each cell gets submerged so the soil can absorb water from the bottom. The trays only stay in the water long enough for the cells to fully saturate.
Once they’re done soaking, the trays go onto a shelf to drain completely. From there, we allow the soil to dry out before watering again.
That wet-dry cycle is one of the keys to growing strong lisianthus. Allowing the trays to dry between waterings encourages healthy root growth and helps prevent disease.
Lisianthus seedlings sometimes get a reputation for being difficult, but in many cases success simply comes down to watering. Using this simple submersion method keeps the roots happy, and the plants growing strong.
Happy growing!
XX Jenn