CRIMORA—Golden sunflowers are turning Virginia fields into dazzling backdrops for photos, family outings and festivals.

With stunning blossoms of all colors and sizes, sunflowers are an agritourism attraction for many farms. Preferring sunny, warm conditions, they can bridge the gap between summer’s sweet corn harvest and fall’s pumpkin patches. And to keep their fields bright, some farmers stagger their plantings to ensure continuous flowers throughout the season.

In Augusta County, Endless View Farms is preparing to welcome guests for its third annual sunflower festival a little sooner than expected.

“We bloomed about two weeks early,” said Leanne Patterson, who operates the farm in Crimora with her husband, Thomas. Following the sunflowers’ schedule, they plan activities around peak blossoms and “hustled to get things ready” for a festival kickoff on Labor Day weekend.

The farm plants 5 acres of black oil and ProCut sunflowers, with branching and pollenless varieties ideal for cut flower arrangements. Visitors can take family photos with props in the sunflower field, cut their own blooms or purchase precut bouquets.

“The ProCuts are smaller … and the black oils get that really big head on them,” she explained. “They’re long-lasting flowers.”

And despite a dry spell leaving some sunflowers slightly shorter than usual, “they’re in great shape,” Patterson said, thanks to irrigation and a late rain. Their festival will run during weekends through mid-September, when the flowers start to droop.

While the Pattersons managed some dry conditions, an hour away in Botetourt County, Beaver Dam Farm experienced the opposite.

“This year we’ve had more rain, which has caused the flowers to grow more rapidly and taller than in years past,” noted farm owner Candace Monaghan.

Monaghan’s family farm will host its annual Beaver Dam Sunflower Festival beginning Sept. 5. Each year, thousands flock to the farm to marvel at a sea of 700,000 blooms on 21 acres. Alongside fields of black oil sunflowers, she also plants 30,000 seeds of colorful varieties.

Monaghan started the sunflower festival 10 years ago as a way to diversify farm income. Today, it hosts over 100 vendors, hayrides and opportunities for visitors to wander through the blooms.

Beyond their beauty, sunflowers have several uses. Once the blooms fade and their heads droop, the seeds are harvested for birdseed.

“We also partnered with a local brewery to make sunflower beer,” she added. “And I’ve pressed some for oil to make into a lip balm.”

Read more about Virginia sunflowers in Cultivate magazine.

Media: Contact Patterson at 540-820-7451 or Monaghan at 540-797-4336.