There aren’t that many exciting, socially distanced activities a person can do. And after five months of COVIDing, I was ready to have some fun. I’m guessing you might be, too.
So when my friend Tori mentioned the possibility of going to a sunflower patch, I simply couldn’t resist. In fact, I had never been to a sunflower patch before!
I love autumn visits to the pumpkin patch — usually, that correspond with my October birthday nuptials. But a prelude to pumpkin patching, apple cider, and festive fall donuts sounded like a fine and dandy idea to me.
So, we struck out on our adventure to Burnside Farms in Nokesville, Virginia. (It took a little over 50 minutes to get there from D.C. for proximity.)
UPDATE: Due to unexpected weather, Burnside Farms is closed for the foreseeable future, possibly for the remainder of the sunflower season. But there are a few other places that I’ve not visited that sound equally lovely, including Fields of Flowers in Purcellville, Virginia and The Sunflower Garden in Westminster, Maryland (a pick-your-own bouquet experience), to name a couple.
Here are a few tips to make your experience extra special:
1) Buy your tickets in advance.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there can only be a limited number of people on the farm at once, so they ask you to buy time-slotted tickets. Tickets cost $12 per person and include access to more than just sunflowers (more on that later).
2) Wear cute, but weather-appropriate clothes.
It can get a bit muddy on the farm. Tori and I had originally planned to wear pretty fancy dresses but later decided to go the more casual route so we could wear shoes ready for any eventuality. Footwear that can be easily wiped down or washed is the way to go.
That being said. You want to look cute. Let’s be real, part of the motivation for going (in addition to loving the sunflowers and the great outdoors) is for the cute photos!
Gotta “do it for the ‘Gram” as I like to say! 😉
3) The sunflower patch is about so much more than sunflowers.
Included in the price of your ticket is the ability to pick 3 sunflowers to take home for free! Any other sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, gladiolas, and liatris come at an additional, but reasonable cost. Think of it like Build-A-Bear but for your own flower arrangements.
Pro-tip: You get a little basket to collect the flowers of your choosing, as well as a pair of snips to cut the ones you select. Be sure to cut the stems longer than you think you need to. You can always cut them shorter; you can never grow them back.
In addition to picking flowers (which makes you feel like Anne of Green Gables or a school-aged girl again), you can opt to do the sunflower maze. In addition to being beautiful, it’s pretty fun. Zach and I admired the many species of bees busy at work pollinating as we meandered our way through the maze.
In short, my first visit to the sunflower patch was a success. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did! Feel free to post questions or share your own experiences in the comments below.
Cheers loves,
Liv
He must increase, but I must decrease. ~ John 3:30
Liv in the District 