There’s something almost magical about sunflowers. Their vibrant blooms pop up in shades of yellow, orange and red at the end of every summer and can turn a plain field into a golden, glorious maze of beauty and fun overnight right around Labor Day.
If you happen to live in or be visiting Indiana, you can take all of the glory in at one of the state’s U-pick sunflower farms. If you’re ready to get out of the house and spend a little time exploring the wonders of nature, the upcoming weekend may be the best time to do it. These gorgeous blossoms certainly won’t be around for long!
Here’s your annual guide to the area’s most dazzling sunflower farms and events:
Sunflower Farms Near Indy
Stuckey Farm: The Sunflower Festival in Sheridan
Despite all of the upsets this year has brought, Stuckey’s annual Sunflower Festival is back. The festival runs just a few short days, from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7 — although you can get a sneak peek at their sunflower fields on Friday, Sept. 4, if you just want to take photos of the fields in all their glory before any flowers get picked.
Stuckey’s has more than 20 different varieties of sunflowers on their farm. These include 15-foot giants like the Skyscraper and the Mammoth variety with its dinner plate-sized blooms that help create a natural maze for visitors to wander through, along with smaller varieties, like the Dwarf Teddy Bear sunflowers that have short, fluffy heads.
Admission does require tickets, although children 2 years of age and under are free. There’s a total of seven incredible acres you can roam, so make sure you put on your walking shoes and give yourself plenty of time to pick the perfect bouquet to take home.
P&D Flower Farm in Indianapolis
You don’t have to travel far to get the you-pick experience! Located a short distance from downtown Indianapolis, a love of flowers and a desire to share the simple pleasures of life with others brought P&D Flower Farm to life.
From dahlia blossoms to cream and red sunflowers, this local flower farm has a huge variety of blooms so pick up your bucket and trimmers from the Flower Shed and get to picking! There’s no admission fee and a variety of bouquet pricing options allows you to create a unique arrangement to fit your needs (and your budget) — from $5 for 7 cut stem flowers to their “just can’t get enough” pricing for 50+ stems. An added bonus? The cashiers will turn your buckets full of flowers into beautiful bouquets, wrapped in brown paper and twine. They even have picnic tables and benches so pack a picnic lunch or dinner and take some time to relax among the flowers.
Dollie’s Farm: A Lavender and U-Pick Farm in Franklin
Although we promised sunflower picking, we couldn’t resist adding Dollie’s U-Pick Flower Farm to the list with its mature lavender fields and hundreds of other blooms, including sunflowers. Lavender is Dollie’s specialty and when you visit, you’ll find a huge selection of products made with farm-grown lavender — check out the lavender bug spray!
On top of these great product offerings, you can pick your own bouquet of flowers or clip yourself a bundle of fresh lavender. If cutting your own bucket of flowers isn’t up your alley, you can still take advantage of getting fresh, locally-grown flowers at the hands of the Dollie’s workers. They will walk the fields for you, professionally arrange a bouquet to suit your needs, and have them ready for pickup within 2 hours.
More U-Pick Sunflower Farms Outside of Indy
Golliher Farms in Cambridge City
With over 1,000,000 sunflowers planted, Golliher Farms is worth the trip! Seemingly endless fields of sunflowers are sure to provide a spectacular display of blooms. Admission is $5 per person with an additional $5 fee to pick your own bouquet, but the field is open until dark and trust us — golden hour in the sunflower field is worth the extra cost.
Field To Vase U-Pick Flower Farm in New Carlisle
Why buy a pre-cut bouquet of tired-looking flowers from the grocery store for the person you love when you can take them to this New Carlisle farm and pick a stunning bouquet of fresh blooms together?
Field To Vase has a huge number of flowers to choose from throughout the season, including zinnias, asters and strawflower gomphrenas. Their sunflower field, however, is only in bloom for just a short time, so that’s something you don’t want to miss. They have tons of different sunflowers to choose from, including a variety that even smells like chocolate. There’s no price on admission, as guests are charged by the stem for the flowers they pick.
Harvest Tyme: The Farm Park and Fields in Lowell
Harvest Tyme has a load of flowers ready to be picked, to be sure, but the farm actually offers an experience that’s perfect for people of all ages. It’s the perfect place for grandparents to take their grandkids or whole families to spend some time bonding.
Their sunflower field is expected to be in full bloom from Sept. 7 through Sept. 15, and you can purchase hayrides through the fields for a mere $2 per person. The farm also offers daily events, including things like the “Candy Cannon” launch, children’s craft time using sunflowers, sunflower arranging classes, an artisan market, music and more.
Johnson’s Sunflower Fun Farm Weekend in Hobart
The sunflowers on this farm start to peek out during the last week of August, but you won’t see their full glory until mid-September. Tickets are just $8 per person, and that includes admission to all of the rides, activities and fields. You can take home your favorite blooms for $3 each (or three for $6).
While the sunflower field is definitely the biggest attraction this time of year, Johnson’s also offers fun for the entire family, no matter their interests or ages.
Your high-octane kids will have a blast firing the fruit and veggie cannon, investigating the goat village, playing on inflatables and swings, and racing through the challenge course. The more sedate members of your family can sit back and just enjoy the train rides, the pedal cars or the fields full of flowers.
Huber’s Orchard and Winery in Borden
This family-owned orchard and winery has been around since 1843, offering a wide variety of u-pick experiences for anybody who wants the joy of hand-selecting the produce they put on their table. Their sunflower field is just one of the many experiences, however, that Huber’s has to offer.
When you’re done admiring those beautiful blossoms, you may want to check out the bakery’s homemade treasures or head over to the Starlight Distillery where you can pick out your own bottle of wine or brandy. Their farm market is also famous for everything from apples to pumpkins, so don’t overlook the chance to visit while you’re there.
A Few Points to Remember
Sunflower season is achingly brief, so this isn’t something that you can put off if you decide that you want to see what all the fuss is about. The blooms will be gone again after just a few days. Check the schedule of each event and watch the weather before you head out, just in case there are changes — and take a vase for the flowers you pick so that you can safely transport them home.
This year has been rough for almost everyone, so that makes it especially important to spend some time just appreciating all of the beautiful things that life has to offer. You won’t regret taking the time to explore — after all, there’s always something new to do here in Indiana!
