WINTERSET, Iowa — On the heels of one of their busiest weekends in the farm's history, PepperHarrow Farm in Winterset is blossoming like never before this summer.
"When the lavender is in bloom, you feel like you're in the middle of Provence, France, instead of in the middle of Iowa," said co-owner Jenn O'Neal.
On March 5, 2022, the Winterset EF4 tornado ripped through part of the farm, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
The farm was one of the many survivors of the storm featured in Local 5's five-part series, Madison County Strong: One Year Later.
"After the tornado, we lost a half an acre of lavender. We don't like to talk about it. But it is a part of our story now. We're embracing that," O'Neal said. "The half an acre of lavender that got destroyed, we had an opportunity to replant it in a way that we would want to. We call it the full immersion lavender experience."
She said it's something she and her husband Adam always wanted to do, and the tornado let them actually do it.
The O'Neals have seen an almost continuous outpouring of support ever since the tornado struck.
"People stop us on the street all the time and say, 'How are you doing? How is your rebuild going?' I say, 'You know what? We're not perfect. We're not back to where we were 100% before. But I feel like we're in really good shape. Things are really coming back together,'" O'Neal said.
Visit their website for more information on upcoming events at the farm and other places you can see them around the Des Moines metro.