Day-trip escapes from the city are always fun in the summertime, and if you’re looking for a fun activity for you and your friends, why not visit some local flower farms?
Ontario is in the prime time for flowers, and there are so many gardens to check out! Here are some close farms to visit this summer that are under two hours from the city.
Just a quick drive from the city, French Blooms in Maple is open all summer long for pick-your-own bouquets, and they have a ton of buds to choose from!
Dahlias, gladiolus, zinnias, snapdragons, cosmos, and many more buds are available to snip across two acres of fields. Over 50 different varieties of flowers are grown here at French Blooms, which shares the same location as the u-pick Robintide Farms.
For $30 a person, you can fill a regular 1L mason jar with a mix of flowers of at least seven different varieties, or $25 with fewer than seven flowers. French Blooms also supplies buckets and clippers for easier picking!
Bring it on down to Hamilton with a trip to Pingle’s Farm Market to pick your lavender bouquet. These fragrant purple buds are in their peak bloom, making for a fragrant bundle of flowers.
Visit Pingle’s on Wednesdays all summer for $5 admission to the farm’s lavender fields and wander through the rows of. Guests are encouraged to pick as much as they can, which will cost you $20 for a bouquet and a glass vase of $15 for a paper sleeve.
For other flower activities, be sure to visit Pingle’s for sunflowers and wildflowers near the end of July, plus blueberries, corn, raspberries, and more farm-fresh produce!
Visit Campbell’s Cross Farm in Caledon (just 30 minutes away) for their annual Sunflower Festival from July 30 to Sept. 4. With over 30 acres of rolling sunflower rows — that’s approximately 700,000 sunflowers — ready to be snipped and brought home!
As a Sunflower Wellness Farm, Campbell’s Cross offers a range of unique summertime activities that focus on health and connection to nature. Sunset yoga sessions, meditation walks, and paint classes are always on schedule, plus charcuterie picnics, chicken coops, and the famous heart-shaped sunflower cutout in the middle of the field!
Pro tip: A visit to Campbell’s is never complete without a Watermelon Sandwich — a beloved summertime treat that pays homage to the farm owner’s very own Nonna Pina. That’s fresh, thick-cut watermelon on a crusty Italian bun topped with balsamic dressing, feta cheese, and fresh basil leaves.
Only a hop, skip, and jump away from the city, King Township’s Country Cut Flowers is a beautiful flower farm straight out of a fairytale.
While July sees lots of flowers, August and September are prime time for the blooms, when the gardens and patches are at their fullest. Right now, big, blushing peonies are in bloom and ready to be added to your vase, with sunflowers available later in the season.
Picking tickets can be purchased online and give you a three-hour ticket window, where you can drop by anytime. Remember, visitors to Country Cut Flowers should bring their own scissors or garden trimmers.
Now go forth and create your custom bouquets.
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