One of the loveliest scents, lavender has long been celebrated for its relaxing, soothing and healing properties. But you don’t need to jet off to Provence to wander through glorious rows of the purple plants. Three family farms in Baraboo are cultivating their own fields of dreams.
The sandy soil between the bluffs of south-central Wisconsin is proving to be fertile ground for these farms, which join forces to hold the Sauk County Lavender Festival each July (this year, it’s July 5-6). Yet each offers a unique approach to growing lavender and welcoming summertime visitors.
New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm represents a fresh start for Aron and Laura McReynolds and their three children. The family bought an abandoned farmhouse back in 2015, and began planting cherries, wildflowers, herbs and lavender. Today, they grow twenty-four varieties of lavender on the property’s forty acres.
Visitors can hop on the hour-long Farm to Table Wagon Tour, which guides them through lavender and cherry farming and introduces them to the farm’s sheep, bees and other animals. They can also check out the farm shop filled with lavender gifts, or dig into a treat — fudge, ice cream and homemade pies all get the lavender treatment.
At Rowley Creek Lavender Farm, Kehaulani and Andrew Jones draw from their Hawaiian and New Zealand roots to create “aloha-sustained agriculture,” which emphasizes responsible caring for their land, animals and one another.
The couple and their five children opened the farm in 2013, and they cultivate twenty-three varieties of lavender over roughly two-and-a-half acres. They also sell fresh-cut lavender, lavender honey and lavender-infused goods in their boutique, and visitors may also say hello to the family’s goats, horses and other animals.
And on seventeen acres just a half-mile from the entrance to Devil’s Lake State Park, Rebecca Powell Hill and her daughter and extended family grow more than thirty varieties of lavender at Devil’s Lake Lavender Farm.
Open since 2017, the farm invites visitors to wander the fields, take a class — from cooking with lavender to yoga with goats — or indulge in a spa service. Or simply unwind in one of the large purple Adirondack chairs set among the plants.
If you’re hungry after all the lovely strolling, stop by Powell Hill’s restaurant, Devil’s Lake Bistro, in Baraboo’s historic downtown.
Photo courtesy of Rowley Creek Lavender Farm.