When I was in kindergarten, I painted pictures of flowers EVERY DAY. This is not an exaggeration.
Yes, I was that little weirdo. I would sit on the edge of the carpet closest to the painting easles so that I could be the first to snag a spot.
I remember being annoyed when my teacher would make me go and do other things like stamp 10 dots on the paper and then count them. UGH. DIDN’T SHE KNOW I WAS THERE TO PAINT FLOWERS!?!?!? I already knew how to count…duh.
Anyway…I guess I am a little flower obsessed. I think I get it from my grandma. Could also be from my mom reading The Secret Garden to me when I was little.
[There’s a secret garden in this post ;)]
I decided to break this post down by season because there are just so many different (and equally beautiful) flower fields to enjoy! (There is a special surprise for you at the end of this post!)
Most of these are close to home/easy day trips from the Metro Detroit area, but I included a few road trip options around the state too!
Start planning now 😉
Early Spring/Spring: Road Trip for the Tulip Fields!
Veldheer Tulip Garden (Holland)
6 million tulips in bloom and 2 windmills!
Tulip Time (a festival in Holland) in early May each year.
Ticket Needed
Check out my blog post on Visiting Holland, MI For Tulip Time!
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Windmill Island Gardens (Holland)
100,000 Tulips
Only Authentic Working Dutch Windmill in the US
Amsterdam Street Organ
Antique Carousel
Ticket Needed
Check out my blog post on Visiting Holland, MI For Tulip Time!
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Mid-Summer: Lavender Season
Indigo Lavender Farms (Imlay City)
23 acres with 14,000+ lavender plants
Guaranteed Blooms are between July 5 – July 27 each year
Up Coming Events:
5/13/23: Fairy Festival
7/7-7/9/23: Lavender Daze
8/5/23: IndigoFest
You can schedule a photoshoot (photographer not provided): $60/1 hour, $100/2 hours
810.417.0909
Lavender products, honey, u-pick 🙂
They also have an Etsy shop!
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Lavender Hill Farm (Boyne City)
Seriously…how dreamy!?!?!
If you’re traveling to Northern Michigan this summer, make this a stop on your trip!
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Blake’s Lavender Festival (Armada)
Annual Lavender Market: July 14-16th, 2023
Tickets are on sale now!
From their Instagram: Immerse yourself in our tranquil orchards and stroll our open-air marketplace featuring 100+ Michigan artisans, lavender infused food & drinks (including hard cider and beer), free classes, speakers and demonstrations on topics such as wellness, farming, etc. Children’s activity tent, U-pick lavender, fruits, vegetables, DIY workshops and more!
6th Annual Lavender Harvest Festival & BBQ
Gate Admission | Cash Only
10 and under FREE
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Cherry Point Lavender Labyrinth (Shelby, MI)
1.5 miles south of Silver Lake
on Scenic Drive (B15)
Also a farm & market! This one is on the west side of the state, but it is SO COOL. They lost a lot of the lavender due to the polar vortex of 2019, but they are replanting. Keep an eye on this one!
Peak lavender blooms are mid-late July.
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Romeo Lavender Farm (Bruce Twp)
Van Dyke & Bordman Road
2,000 Lavender Plants & 2 acres of Wildflowers!
They have sunflowers here too!
You can also do dinner on the Lavender Farm in your own private shed 🙂
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For the list of ALL Michigan Lavender Farms >>CLICK HERE<<
Late Summer/Early Fall: SUNFLOWER SEASON! (& Dahlias too)
Unfortunately, Van Houtte Farms is no more 🙁 I hope that someone buys this beautiful farm and keeps the flower fields and giant pumpkins going! I would hate to see this land turn into a subdivision.
32 Mile & Romeo Plank
Wide variety of flowers available for u-pick including sunflowers!
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30 Mile & Van Dkye
Sunflower Fields & U-Pick
They also have a winery! If you missed my post about Metro Detroit Wine Bars, you can check that out here 🙂
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Sunflower fields (usually two different varieties) & u-pick!
Keep an eye on their website and social media for all of the details on the sunflowers.
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Sunflower fields & they have a winery too! 😉
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For the list of ALL Sunflower Fields Across Michigan >>CLICK HERE<<
No u-pick until the very end of the season.
You can go to yoga and other events!
Fresh cut flowers available at the Downtown Rochester Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.
Dahlia’s are a late summer/early fall kinda flower, so keep an eye on the Summer Dreams Farm social media pages. (We did yoga here in early September, and it was magical. We also each got a vase of beautiful dahlias to take home.)
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Barefoot Blossoms Farm (Ortonville)
BRAND NEW IN 2021!!! They have all kinds of flowers here including dahlias!
They have tons of super fun events here (like Girls’ Night Out with wine and food and flowers)!
Tea for Two & Breakfast, Brew, and Blooms are some of their other events…along with U-Pick.
I CANNOT WAIT!!!
Events should be starting in late July, but you definitely need to keep an eye on their website and social media + (here’s a big one) SIGN UP FOR THEIR EMAIL LIST.
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Bulk Flowers, U-Pick, Photo Sessions & More!
A one hour photography session is $50
From their site:
Muddy Acres offers Bulk Flowers to make your own arrangements – perfect for DIY weddings and special events! Bulk Flowers – We Pick Specialty Tulips (April/Early May) $1.75/Stem Ranunculus (April) $2/Stem Anemones (April) $1.75/Stem Peonies (Early June) $4/Stem Dahlias (Late July through Frost) $2.50/Stem Bulk Flowers – You Pick Specialty Tulips (We Pick Only) Ranunculus $1.50/Stem Anemones $1.25/Stem Peonies (We Pick Only) Dahlias $2/Stem Please contact us as soon as possible to reserve your flowers. A $50 deposit is required.For Reference: We no longer offer annual flowers. We will try our best to accommodate specific color schemes and varieties, but we harvest the freshest blooms available in the field at the time of your event. While blooms can last up to a week if properly cared for, we recommend picking up your flowers no more than 3 days before your event. There is a $10 per bucket deposit (for the bucket itself) and it’s fully refundable upon return of clean buckets. Delivery is not included. Final payment is due at pick up. The more flexible you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be. We are also a working farm with several rambunctious dogs and 2 crazy kids. Please make an appointment prior to your visit so the dogs and kids can be handled prior to your arrival! Because our flowers are at the mercy of Mother Nature, we cannot guarantee or reserve flowers.
Ankley Family Farm (Imlay City)
I think Ankley Family Farm is going to be the one to watch for 2023!
They have a beautiful set up here for u-pick with tons of variety! They also have sunflower fields and lots of cool photo props scattered around.
In the fall, I did a pumpkin bouquet event with them. They have a cute barn/pavilion area for events, plus the catering they do is phenomenal. (Still dreaming about their chocolate chip cookies!)
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Cut Flower Farms & Stands (No U-Pick)
Mostly a fresh cut flower spot and farm stand, BUT they do amazing (small group) flower arranging events here too (you need a ticket in advance). This will be another one to keep an eye on for 2023!
She is also one of the few places in Metro Detroit that offers peonies on the farm stand in June! (Keep an eye on social media for updates!)
Flower Nights:
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Blue Hill Flower Farm (East China)
They do lots of events and workshops here too!
Also, keep an eye out for PEONIES!!!
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From their site:
Welcome to Roots on Reid. Homegrown in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Established 2020.
From colorful cut flowers, fresh produce, festive pumpkins, and wintery wreaths: we love bringing locally grown goodness to you. Whether on this website or at our farmstand, we hope you find something that you love.
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Three Acre Farm (Byron Center)
Flower Happy Hour!
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Fence Post Flower Farm (Bruce Twp)
Fresh Cut Flowers & Veggies too!
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Other Gardens & Honorable Mentions
Grand Hotel Secret Garden (Mackinac Island)
Did you know that the Grand Hotel has a secret garden!?!?
(My flower obsession might also stem from my mom reading that book to me when I was little by the way.)
Thanks to my friend Jessica @wellplannedadventures for the tip on this one!
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Matthaei Gardens & Nichols Arb (Ann Arbor)
Ok, it’s actually called the Matthaei Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. I am a U of M Alum, so I just call it The Arb 😉
The Peony Garden is a big attraction. It was cancelled last year, but hopefully it’ll be open again this year.
Look for info/try to visit if you can late May through mid-June.
Garden Walk: https://mbgna.umich.edu/event/100-years-in-bloom-garden-walk/
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Home to the Nation’s Longest Canopy Walk!
You can visit by appointment only right now. Hopefully that changes as the weather gets warmer and more things open up!
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Fred Meijer Gardens (Grand Rapids)
Indoor & Outdoor Gardens on the 158 acre main campus!
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Deneweth’s Garden Center (Macomb)
Last, but not least…
Not a garden or a flower field, but this is my happy place. I worked here for years through high school and college. The greenhouses are huge, and I just love strolling through them on a warm summer day soaking in all of the beautiful flowers. If you need a pick-me-up and don’t have the time to travel far, pop in here for a little walk 🙂
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