Holy Moses

Hillsdale Lily Garden is owned by Todd and Lu Peverill.  The garden is located Southeast of Glenwood, Iowa on land that has been in Lu’s family for almost 80 years.  In fact, the name Hillsdale Lily Garden is in tribute to honor the history of the area.  Lu’s family settled here in rural SW Iowa in the late 1800’s, always farming and working the land. Hillsdale became an active town in 1865 when the CB & Q railroad came and connected the country. The town steadily grew and then became a ghost town, as the railroad was abandoned (1907) and moved to another location, leaving only the rural school and the Methodist Church.  Today, the school building is a private residence but the church is an active, engaged congregation.

Hillsdale Lily Garden began in 2015 with the gift of 12 single cultivar lily plants from Jim, a businessman and lily grower in upstate New York.  Jim’s mother-in-law had been a lifelong friend of Lu’s mom, Margaret.  The women in Lu’s family have always worked the land by farming, gardening and having beautiful flower beds.  Lu has always loved flowers and has personal flowerbeds that were alive with color of different lilies obtained over the last several years. Jim encouraged Lu and Todd to begin a commercial garden and made a commitment to help them get started.

Todd and Lu have lived here in Hillsdale since 1992, raising 2 sons, numerous sheep, goats, chickens, cats, dogs (even a hamster or two).  Todd is a graduate of Waterloo (Iowa) East high school where he had an all American track and cross country career. He went on to run at the college level at University of Northern Iowa and University of Nebraska Omaha.  Lu is a graduate of Fremont-Mills (Tabor, Iowa) high school ,the University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University.

Todd has coached Glenwood High school boys track 1993-2019 and cross country since 1998. Lu has worked at Lewis Central High School -Council Bluffs since 2003 as the school Success Counselor after having worked at other schools and facilities with at risk youth. She has been Todd’s assistant cross country coach since 2007.

The Peverills are the proud parents of Kelsey, a construction engineer who lives in the Denver area with his wife Amanda. Collin licensed journeyman union electrician who lives in Glenwood along with his sons. We have 4 grandchildren, Owen, Bailey, Henry and Mason, love to be with Grandpa Todd and Grandma Lu being outside and helping out around the flower garden.