Flower-hungry visitors throw a wrench into Lawrence sunflower farm’s famous bloom
Grinter Farms’ sunflowers are starting to bloom — and flower thieves are taking note.
A popular day trip and photo shoot destination located 12 minutes outside Lawrence, this private farm grows sunflowers for birdseed. It has long permitted visitors to stop by its picturesque sunflower field — but the flowers growing there are not for picking.
“I was so disappointed when I went to look to see how many blooms popped since this morning and folks are walking out with armfuls of cut blooms,” the farm posted on its Facebook page Sunday. “People are driving here to see the blooms in the field…not in your car as you drive away.”
Every year, visitors eagerly await the flowers’ short-lived blooming season for a chance to visit and snap photos with Kansas’ state flower. The bloom started this weekend and is expected to continue in the coming days.
Ahead of the flood of visitors for Labor Day weekend, the farm took to Facebook to remind visitors of the ground rules. They include not cutting flowers, not leaving trash or photography equipment like ladders in the field, cleaning up after pets and treating the sunflowers with caution and care.
“If you ‘accidentally’ pick one, just know that they will probably wilt and die before you get home,” the farm wrote Saturday night. “Also, if you do pick one, please leave a dollar for each in one of the red boxes. They are a crop for us (birdfeed), so picking them costs us real money.”
The farm added that visitors and photographers who don’t take sunflowers home are also encouraged to leave donations: “Even if the flowers don’t get picked, there is quite a lot of loss from trampling,” it wrote.
If you’re planning to visit Grinter Farms to enjoy the blooms, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:
The farm doesn’t have “official” opening hours, but visitors are asked to leave when it gets dark.
There are no restrooms, paths or other amenities available — the field is technically private land with no visitors’ facilities.
The farmers advise that weekdays and mornings are the least busy times to visit.
Don’t park on the road or use marked private driveways to access the field.
Expect to encounter bees and other bugs, and leave them alone when you do.
While the farm doesn’t have a publicly available phone number, you can find more information about visiting on its Facebook page.
Do you have more questions about things to do in and around Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 12:46 PM.
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