5 farms where you can pick your own flowers in Massachusetts

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If you ask me, nothing brightens up a space like fresh flowers, especially on gloomy, rainy days.

Sure, you could go down to Trader Joe’s and pick up a pre-made arrangement. But summers in New England offer the opportunity to pick your bouquet direct from the source. Vibrant zinnias, stunning sunflowers, darling dahlias and more are all in season. And at a number of Massachusetts farms, visitors are welcome to select a bunch fresh from the fields. (Some even offer fresh fruits and other summer harvest treats to try while you’re picking.)

Sound like your kind of summer day? Here’s where you’ll want to go:

Parlee Farms | 95 Farwell Road, Tyngsborough

Parlee Farms offers a lot of the classic farm stand fare — fresh fruit, corn, ice cream and warm treats like blueberry crisp and strawberry shortcake. But they’ve also got blooming flower fields open for picking. In season now are zinnias, dahlias, gladiolus, snapdragons and over 15 different filler flowers (i.e. smaller stems that support your bigger, focal flowers). Admission is $3 for anyone over the age of 5 and cut flowers cost $12.95 per pound. If you bring your own flower bucket, you can also knock $1 off your purchase.

Parlee offers cut-your-own hours daily, but they vary depending on the weather. So before you start your drive to Tyngsborough, check their website for current conditions and updated hours.

Cross Street Farm | 4 Jacobs Lane, Norwell

The flower fields at Cross Street Farm sit on a 300-year-old patch of town-preserved farmland in Norwell. The farm offers zinnias, dahlias, peonies and other filler flowers depending on the weather and season.

Cut-your-own hours run Thursday to Sunday through October. Visitors can clip up to 15 stems with the purchase of a $40 entry ticket. Picking slots are timed, so be sure to reserve a spot online.

The Farm at SummitWynds | 69 Summit Street, Jefferson

Next weekend’s “Butterfly Experience” is your last chance to visit the Farm at SummitWynds this summer, which is home to both lavender and sunflower fields.

August is the sunflowers’ time to shine. The farm’s 200-yard sunflower field will be open, and blooms will be available to cut, if supplies last and weather permits. Sunflower stems are $3 each, or you can get 10 for $25. (While the farms holds its annual lavender festival in late June, you can still get a taste of this fragrant flower through lavender lemonade and lavender soft-serve ice cream.)

General admission tickets must be reserved online and cost $12.95.

Hanson’s Farm | 20 Nixon Road, Framingham

Family-owned Hanson’s Farm has stood in Framingham for over 100 years. You can go pick your own flowers daily through September during their opening hours (9.am. to 6 p.m.). The farms says their best blooms are currently zinnias. But if you come back later in the month, you’ll also have your pick of sunflowers, per the farm. There is no admission fee, and flowers are priced at 50 cents per stem.

Land’s Sake Farm | 90 Wellesley Street, Weston

Sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, marigolds and 16 other flower varieties are currently in bloom across three different fields at Land’s Sake Farm — and they’ll all be available for picking through October. To participate, you have to purchase a $15 reusable bucket which you can fill with as many stems as you can fit (around 25). Keep the bucket for your next visit they’ll knock $2 off the cost of entry and flowers.

P.S.— More in the mood to pick fruit than flowers? Massachusetts has a great guide to all of the state’s pick-your-own produce farms, including maps, events and recipes. (Blueberries and peaches are in season all August, so start there!)

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