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A brilliant way to brighten up your home during the summer is with a beautiful bunch of freshly picked flowers.
‘Tis the season for sunflowers, wildflowers and summer fruit and, all over Kent, there are plenty of places where you can stroll through the fields and choose the perfect bouquet to take home. Here are some of our favourites…
FLOWER FARM, near Canterbury
This stunning farm also doubles as a wedding venue, and it’s easy to see why. Colourful, seasonal flowers surround the site and create a beautiful backdrop for a summer’s day and, from June to October, you can bring your own vase and fill it with your picks. Pruning tools are provided and water bottle refill spots are dotted throughout the bloom-rich fields.
Details: Open Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm. Prices start from £20. Book online here.
FOUR WINDS FARM, near Tunbridge Wells
Get lost in a maze of towering sunflowers at this year’s Sunflower Trail. The trail opens for one week in August and includes a large field where you can pick your own flowers, as well as the free sunflower that comes with every ticket. There will also be photo opportunities, picnic areas and refreshments for sale.
Details: Open Monday, August 5 to Sunday, August 11 from 10am to 4pm. Adult tickets cost £7, child tickets cost £4. Book online here.
LODDINGTON FARM, near Maidstone
Florist Blooming Green, located at Loddington Farm, is putting on special pizza, prosecco and pick-your-own flower nights throughout the summer. Every Thursday evening, visitors to the farm can wander through the fields and pluck their flowers before sitting down to enjoy a freshly cooked pizza and a few bubbles while the flowers are wrapped for you on-site.
Details: Open Thursdays until September 12 from 5pm to 8pm. Prices start from £25. No need to book.
LOWER LADYSDEN FARM, Goudhurst
From mid-July until September, this award-winning farm will be boasting a sea of golden sunflowers along with its usual PYO fare, which includes asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and runner beans. You can also explore the wildflower patch which will be filled with a variety of colours and blooms for you to create the perfect bouquet.
Details: Open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and Sunday, 9am to 3pm. Prices vary depending on fruit and flowers. Book online here or turn up on the day.
MEOPHAM PYO, near Gravesend
During the summer season, you can choose from peas, gooseberries, blackcurrants, strawberries and plums to take home along with, of course, sunflowers. The season hasn’t quite started yet but the flowers are set to bloom any day now, and you don’t even need to book - simply turn up on the day and pay for what you pick.
Details: Open Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Entry is free, no need to book.
MITCHELL FLOWER FARM, Sevenoaks
The latest crops from this sustainable farm include sweetpeas, cornflowers, calendula oxeye daisies, snapdragons and larkspur. There will also be zinnias, sunflowers and gypsophila a little later in the summer, so there’s plenty of choice no matter when you visit. And, for those who like things to be natural, it’s all pesticide-free and grown without weedkiller.
Details: Open Friday and Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Prices start from £10. No need to book.
TULLEYS, Crawley
It’s a little further afield, but if you’re willing to make the trip to West Sussex then you can be part of this year’s Sunflower Festival at Tulleys. The annual event, which is often a sell-out, returns in August with a 12-acre sunflower field, live music, selfie stations, cocktails and street food.
Details: Expected to be open from early August, tickets go on sale and dates confirmed when the flowers have bloomed.