A Kent Bridge-area couple is hoping their sunflower field will continue to honor the memory of their loved one, as well support the Alzheimer Society.
In 2021, Matthew and Gail Whitney, owners and operators of Puddleford Tree Farm, decided to take a fallow field and grow sunflowers to allow the public to get outside again during the pandemic.
“We thought if we had the sunflowers, people could come and enjoy themselves, and they did,” Gail said.
“A lot of people came out that year and it just seemed to make everybody happy.”
Her father, who died in 2020, had Alzheimer’s disease, so the society became the farm’s charity of choice with any money raised.
The ongoing opportunity is called, “making sunny memories,” since many families come out with their children.
“We thought, let’s raise some money and see what happens,” Gail said.
The farm charges $5 a car to come onto the field to walk through the sunflowers and take pictures, as well as $1 per stem for anyone wishing to cut their own sunflowers.
With the recent wet weather, attendance has been impacted, but about a dozen visitors come out each day, Gail said.
She added this is a legitimate way for the public to take sunflower pictures without trespassing, which has been an issue for some properties.
“If a farmer grows sunflowers for a crop, they don’t want humans in the field, because that damages the crop,” she said. “And then, when they go to harvest, they have problems.
“We don’t harvest these, other than we allow people to cut them.”
Since they’re located out in the country, she said it’s a picturesque, peaceful place for visitors to reflect and have fun.
Gail said her father probably would have liked the idea.
“I think he’d think it was pretty cool,” she said.
All of the funds raised go directly to the Chatham-Kent Alzheimer Society.
The farm is located about 20 minutes east of Chatham, at 22896 Scane Rd. in Kent Bridge.
It is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm until the sunflowers are finished blooming. Visitors must cut their own sunflowers and pay at a cash box located near the parking lot.
For more information, visit the farm’s Facebook book page @puddlefordtreefarm, or on Instagram @puddlefordchristmas.
The farm will post on their social media pages when the field will be closing.