Suzanne Winkelpleck pictured last month on her front porch framed by ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas. Her and her husband Jon’s rural Dysart farmyard, located on the very edge of town within earshot of Union Middle School’s football field, was designated ‘Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month’ for September by the Dysart Garden Club. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

DYSART – During the growing season, the farmyard of Jon and Suzanne Winkelpleck is often in the ‘limelight’ even when the sun goes down thanks to the spectacular, viridescent ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas that ring the couple’s 1910 farmhouse. Their massive – both in height and bloom – hydrangeas are just one of the many reasons the Winkelplecks’ rural Tama County yard was chosen as Dysart Garden Club’s final Blue Ribbon Flowers of the Month for 2025.

“We’ve been here since we married,” Suzanne said on a seasonably-warm evening in mid-September as she gave the newspaper a tour of her and Jon’s well-ordered yard located on the western edge of town along X Avenue. While their home faces Dysart, their pastures and fields stretch to the north, south, and west.

At the time of the newspaper’s visit, the local garden club’s blue-ribbon sign had been placed north of the Winkelplecks’ driveway in a well-manicured flower bed situated between X Avenue’s ditch and a railroad tie fence in front of the house along the property’s perimeter. The bed featured a bountiful mixture of perennials and annuals. A similar flower bed – albeit exponentially larger – hugged the curve of the driveway leading to the house and tidy red barns. An equally-stunning third flower bed was located next to the home’s side entry which faces south.

One of the farmhouse’s best features is perhaps the wrap-around porch which serves as a respite from the world due to the hydrangeas Suzanne planted around it nearly a decade ago. In mid-September, the bushes – a bulwark of pale lime green tinged with pink blooms – were easily towering over seven feet tall.

“I just cut them back and they come back even bigger,” Suzanne joked of the variety which she described as her absolute favorite garden feature on the property. “I cut [the bushes] in the spring [down to] about half the size and they explode.”

The brilliant blooms of a ‘Limelight’ hydrangea on display at Jon and Suzanne Winkelpleck’s rural Dysart farmyard in mid-September. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

While Suzanne characterized September in Iowa as a “hard month” for those who love to garden, the warm autumn weather this year coupled with copious amounts of rain over the summer have made for an extended show at the Winkelplecks’ property due to the long-lasting flower, grass, and even vegetable (long live the Minnesota Midget muskmelons!) varieties Suzanne selects. It was evident during the newspaper’s visit that her gardening talents lie not only in cultivation but also in curation.

When asked if her farmer husband Jon, who was not present during the newspaper’s visit, helps her with gardening, Suzanne gave a lovely but hearty laugh before adding, “He will dig holes. And he will haul mulch.”

As the sun began to dip lower that mid-September evening, Suzanne leaned on a fencepost north of the house where Jon’s beloved donkeys, including a foal born this year, were out to pasture. In the distance, diverse crop fields provided a picturesque border to the blue-ribbon yard’s flower beds.

“I just love God’s creation,” Suzanne sighed.

Especially when it’s in the limelight.

One of several colorful flower beds located on the Winkelplecks’ farm in rural Dysart. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

A sulphur butterfly lights on a spray of red asters in mid-September at the Winkelpleck farm. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER