“A sunflower field is like a sky with a thousand suns.”
Corina
Abdulahm-Negura
Who
doesn’t love sunflowers! Anderson’s Sunflower Farm has been in
operation brightening up Highway 9 in Cummings, Georgia for 23 years.
The bright yellow beauties reach towards the sky and
appear
to shine for all to see. We decided to take a drive to see this
farm while the sunflowers were still at their peak. This field is
located about a three hour drive from Augusta, Georgia.
This
local landmark was planted by Byron Anderson after he phased out his
hog operation which was what the land was used for initially. These
fields were once filled with corn and wheat to feed his hogs. The
fields remained unused for a few years before he came up with the
idea of planting sunflowers. His family first thought he was crazy
and didn’t understand why he wanted to do that when he first
brought up the idea. They soon changed their minds.
After
he planted his fields and they bloomed for that first year, many
locals stopped by to say how beautiful the property was and how it
cheered them up as they passed by the farm. He first sold the
sunflowers on the honor system but then decided to open it up to the
public. Byron has since passed (2006) but the farm stayed in the
family and is now run by his son, Dennis Anderson who kept the family
tradition going.
After
researching this property, I see that Dennis Anderson has sold 40 of
their 50 acres to a developer who plans on building a senior citizens
living area. It has not been built on and he has continued to be
allowed to plant his sunflowers on the property. Check them out on
their website and go see it before it is gone. Hopefully it will
still be there for a few more years.
The
seeds for the sunflowers are planted back in May and it takes 65 days
till they bloom in these fields. The blooms only last between 7 and
10 days. The farm only is open for a few weeks in July. The farm has
many props for taking pictures, such as an old truck, tractor, and an
early 1900 wooden barn.
They
have a lovely artsy stand where you can buy cut sunflowers for $1 a
stem or you can also cut stems from the farm. They also sell
T-shirts, vases with sunflowers, lemonade, water, and honey. The
staff are all very friendly and willing to help you if needed.
During
the season, they are open from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM and will cost you
$20 a carload no matter how many people are in the vehicle. If you
are a professional photographer doing a photo shoot it will cost you
$40 for you and your subject. You are allowed to bring dogs on a
leash and as a warning, there are a lot of bumble bees so be careful.
When we went, we saw plenty but they didn’t bother us at all.
There are port-a-lets for your use.
They
are now closed for the 2020 season but follow them out on their facebook page - Anderson's Sunflower Farm. They are located at 3360 Shiloh Road, Cummings, Georgia.
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