Dollie’s Farm | A Lavender & U-Pick Flower Farm

Have you ever ventured into acres of lavender and flowers of all kinds and cut a few stems right from the field? A u-pick flower outing produces beautiful blooms for your home and provides the unique experience of standing amongst hundreds of blooms. I must admit I am a huge flower fan, and so are my boys.

Dollie’s U-Pick Flower Farm

When I heard about a new u-pick lavender and flower farm nearby, I knew I wanted to take my boys to explore and learn about the unique experience of a lavender and flower field. Dollie’s Lavender and U-pick Flower Farm is located about 30 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis in Franklin.  The farm boasts rows of mature lavender and a variety of flowers to choose from.

Visiting Dollie’s Farm

As I entered the Lavender farm, I was immediately in love with the beautiful, welcoming wagon donning the farm’s name, “Dollie’s,” along with inviting fresh flowers. Once on the gravel road, a gentleman will greet you and direct your vehicle to a designated open field for parking. If you happen to need handicapped parking, there are designated handicapped parking spaces in front of the flower shed for easier access to all the amenities. A small ramp on the back of the Flower shed allows easy wheelchair and stroller access to the store. The overall accessibility to the farm with a jogging stroller will be easier than a lightweight stroller. Near the Flower shed is a gray port and a potty for restroom access.

As you walk up to the lavender and flower area, you will be greeted by the owner of the farm at a small flower wrapping station. There, you will be given a basket and cutting sheers per person. The owner will share information about lavender farms in Indiana and a small briefing on how to cut the flowers and lavender.

The area is an open field with lots of sunshine, and you can view the farm’s different activities and flowers. There are rows of fragrant Lavender flowers and rows of a variety of gorgeous flowers that can be freshly cut and made into beautiful bouquets. The farm has ample seating and a cute patio pergola area that houses two long picnic tables for a snack or an area to relax from the sun after picking flowers.

Dollie’s U-pick Flower Farm would be an incredible date night idea, a beautiful setting for a mom’s night out, a wedding or baby shower, or other special occasion.

U-Pick Lavender and Fresh Flowers

At the flower stand, after the information was given to our family about Lavenders and how to cut them properly. Each of my boys had his own bucket and scissors to cut and collect Lavender. With the help of grandma, my boys set on their mission to find the “purpliest” lavender flowers to cut and take home. The field was beautiful, with perfect rows of purple lavenders. My oldest son is seven years old, and because he has experience with scissors, we allowed him to cut his own stems; as for my four-year-old, grandma assisted him with the cutting. As we were walking through the field, we could smell the fresh aromatic lavender fragrance. At our briefing before heading out, the owner had advised us to rub the lavender between our hands, and that action allowed the lavender to give off a stronger fragrance.

Photo Credit: Ashley Toler

There are also a variety of U-pick flowers. From a field of poppies to a mint match, there is something beautiful and colorful for each person to choose from and to make their very own flower bouquet. We were given a tall bucket with water to fill with fresh-cut flowers. Once we had collected various flowers, my boys took their buckets to the flower stand, and the flowers were wrapped up into a bouquet.

Chicken feeding

Next to the poppy field on the farm, you will find a large chicken coop with various chickens and a rooster. You can purchase chicken feed for $.25. The farm-fresh eggs from the chickens are sold at the farm shed.

Games and Swings

In the middle of the farm was a nice pergola that provided shade from the sun and large picnic tables, perfect for us to cool down and get a quick snack and drink. There were many fun games in the area that appealed to all ages and abilities, such as twister on the grass, large Jenga, and large dominos. There were also large swings that we all loved swinging and relaxing on.

Photo Credit: Ashley Toler

Farm Shed & Market

At the end of our farm experience, we stepped into the farm shed and market, where we were greeted by wonderful ladies. The shop features lots of great products using lavender from the farm, and I learned that everything is made locally. The shop had lavender essential oil, soaps, lotions, lavender spray, tea, and many more products using their own lavender. We also bought honey that is locally made on the farm and eggs from the chicken coop.

Lavender at Home

Once you have your lavender at home, there are lots of great options for using it. One idea that my youngest son had was to make play dough. With experience making playdough and sensory bins, I knew I wanted to use part of the lavender my boys picked for a calming lavender sensory dough. Another great idea is to get the kids in the kitchen and make lavender lemonade, which can be enjoyed on these hot summer days.

Dollie’s Farm

3961 N 425 East
Franklin, Indiana 46131
https://dolliesfarm.com/