A wine estate is celebrating a sunflower feast, and my camera wanted to go.
One can buy a flower arrangement consisting of 5 big sunflowers, and a bottle of wine for ZAR150.
**Here is some more information about the celebration below. **
Vergelegen Wine Estate’s vast one-hectare field of sunflowers has burst into bloom, marking the start of the highly-anticipated annual Sunflower Festival.
Fans of these large, vibrant blooms ‒ which traditionally symbolise warmth, positivity and vitality ‒ can celebrate sunflowers in several ways:
Freshly picked sunflowers are sold in the Wine Tasting Room, at five stems per bunch, together with a special edition of rosé wine, for R150. A portion of the proceeds will go to honey bee research and honey projects on the estate.
Stables restaurant is offering a small set menu of sunflower- and honey-inspired dishes, in addition to its normal menu. The Rose Terrace Tea Room pastry chef, Tarquin Wagemaker, has created delicious sunflower-inspired cakes.
Farm honey is sold at R155/jar and visitors to the Potting Shed Gift Shop receive free packets of sunflower seeds. The field of sunflowers, near the Stables restaurant, is also popular for selfies.
“We expect the sunflowers to continue blooming for about three weeks (to around mid-February) depending on the weather conditions,” say Vergelegen’s resident horticulturists Richard Arm and Chris Randlehoff.
Vergelegen marketing manager Caroline van Schalkwyk advises sunflower fans to visit the farm early. “The blooms are picked fresh every day, but sell out fast,” she advises. “Stocks of seeds and sunflower-inspired products are limited.”
This below is a lovely sunflower tower to promote the occasion.
Right, now let's go with my photos.
.
Let me show you the life cycle of a sunflower.
This is a bud in the developing process.
Slowly starting to unfurl its leaves.
Good looking now already.
And then it bursts open to show its beauty. Even the honeybees like it.
Finally, the sunflower head turns into seeds to ready itself for harvesting.
Oh! and I almost forgot to show you my sunflower in the field.
I call her the wunderkind of nature, as she is at her happiest whenever she can forage between plants and bushes in nature. She also searches for all kinds of medicinal plants, and I drink so much of the stuff, that I feel like a tree :)
**And so, for all Saffers that are around in the Western Cape area, this celebration will last until the middle of February, and you are most welcome to pop in for a visit. All information is included in the link up above. Tourists can also plan to put this on their bucket list whenever they decide to visit the Western Cape Province. **
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Thank you kindly for supporting this post.
A beautiful flower that always looks for the sunrise. In my area the seeds of this plant can be consumed as food to be enjoyed when gathering with friends
Really lovely flowers, and one can certainly eat the seeds, as it is said that they are very healthy to eat.
!LOL
Sunflowers remind me of my mom. She loved sunflowers. They turn their face to the sun.
Glad that I could remind you about a memory of your mom. My mom's favorite was Protea flowers.
You are correct as they turn their faces to the sun, and that's why they are called sunflowers. !LOL
Wonderful! A great Sunday dose of greens and nice weather😇Marvelous captures @papilloncharity. The budding development makes me feel like I am gazing at it pesonally. The colors of nature are just sooo healing even in pictures.
Thank you, and I am glad that you got a personal feel with the budding process of a sunflower. Yep, I can feel the healing properties of the colors in nature.
Very hot here and we stick to the shadows. !LOL
Have a nice Sunday.🌻🌻😘Beautiful photos @papilloncharity so many sunflowers. No doubt sunflower seeds are a great food. But I like to have at home a bouquet of sunflowers is a symbol of love and happiness, I'm sure you brought a bouquet home.
Thank you, and yes, sunflower seeds are popular in meals over here. The color yellow is known as a symbol of happiness, and no, we didn't take a bouquet home, as I rather like to see the flowers in nature, free and wild.
A nice Sunday also to you and yours.
!PIZZA !LOL
Sunflowers are the welcome wagon of the garden and make most people smile. Your own personal sunflower is the lovliest of the them all!
!LOL I like your description of "the welcome wagon of the garden" and their yellow is known to be a happy color.
She said that I must thank you for the kind compliment.
!PIZZA and !LUV
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Such a beautiful sunflower and breathtaking view.
Thank you kindly!
The flower fields are amazing, I was amazed by their enormous size. The appearance of the flowers is very beautiful.
The happy fields as one can feel a sense of warm love in those fields. They are indeed beautiful flowers.
!PIZZA
They are yellow in color and look even more beautiful in the sun.
Yellow means happiness and they love the sun. !LOL
Wonderful field of sunflower, I like eating the seeds of matured sunflower. You captured the photos amazing,
Thank you and I am glad that you know that the seeds are healthy to eat. !LOL
What a beautiful celebration of sunflowers! 🌻💛 The photos truly capture the warmth and vibrancy of this festival, and I love the idea of pairing fresh sunflowers with a special edition rosé wine—such a perfect combination! Supporting honey bee research through this event is also a wonderful initiative. Your photos of the sunflower life cycle are stunning, and it’s amazing to see nature’s process so up close. Thanks for sharing this sunny slice of beauty!
Thank you, and the horticulturists on the wine estates are experts in the planning and layout of the sunflower fields. That and in combination with the wine makers delivers the perfect pairings. You are right, as the honeybee research is essential not only to keep the bees happy, but also to make the perfect honey. Always amazing to see the budding processes of flowers in nature.
Glad that you liked the happy slice of beauty.
!PIZZA and !LUV
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Absolutely! It’s incredible how much thought and expertise go into creating such a perfect balance between nature and winemaking. 🌻🍷🐝 The connection between sunflowers, bees, and honey production is truly fascinating. Seeing the process unfold in nature is always a joy—thanks for sharing this beautiful insight!
Wow, great post with beautiful Shots
!DIY
Thank you, and I am happy that you liked the shots.
!PIZZA and !LUV
(3/10) sent you LUV. | tools | discord | community | HiveWiki | <>< daily@goga22, @papilloncharity
Thank you so much
❤️❤️
You can query your personal balance by
@goga22 just sent you a DIY token as a little appreciation for your post dear @papilloncharity! Feel free to multiply it by sending someone else !DIY in a comment :) You can do that x times a day depending on your balance so:!DIYSTATSThat last pic is heartwarming, and the description even more :)
She said that I must thank you Eric.
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STOPwhen I see Sunflowers 🌻 it reminds me the garden of my neighbor . Its so beautiful when it blooms. The sunflower will follow wherever the sun goes.
Great that your neighbor had had sunflowers, and yes, they follow the sun with their faces. !LOL