Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
WELLESLEY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Sunflowers are hitting their peak bloom at Wellesley’s Garden at Elm Bank just in time for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society's flower-picking event which is open through Wednesday.
“Sunflower Spectacular” features three pick-your-own sunflower stems and access to the 1.3 acre display area, according to the organization’s website.
“We tell people to bring a picnic, make a day of it,” Allison Dush, the director of education and guest experience, said. “You get to explore the garden, and then also have the sunflowers.”
The field includes pops of colors, such as white, red and green, adding to the nature of this “whimsical experience,” she said.
Some of the garden’s sunflowers are shorter than usual this year due to high temperatures that stunted their growth. But, Dush still had some flower-picking advice for taller plants that surpassed the smaller ones.
Getting low to the ground helps trim tall stems and shave off excess leaves that the plant would have maintained by tapping into its nutrient reserves, she said.
“How many plants grow as tall as a person?” Dush said. “It just makes the day a little
more beautiful.”
The organization was founded in 1829 and is the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States, according to their website. They hope to instill the “love of horticulture and plants, gardens and the natural world into the lives of people of all ages,” according to MHS.
Admission to the event is $19 for adults and $10 for ages three to 17.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.