There’s a new exhibit growing at Billings Farm & Museum that you should go see while it’s still in bloom.
Thousands of sunflowers in 14 different varieties make up the Sunflower House, forming hallways and rooms on a quarter-acre patch of land at the Woodstock-based nonprofit. The exhibit was designed by the Woodstock Inn & Resort’s master gardener Ben Pauly as part of a partnership between two of the biggest institutions in town.
“Some varieties are in peak right now,” Pauly told me during a Thursday morning tour of the Sunflower House. “Others are just starting to bloom.”
The rooms and hallways vary in size and width. Leaves and flowers push into the passageways, creating the illusion that you’re walking through a tunnel.
“It’s not meant to be a maze,” Pauly said.
The Sunflower House will be up until the first frost — likely the end of September — and then will be left to naturally deconstruct, creating a food source for birds and other wildlife. Billings Farm & Museum is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and admission ranges from $4-$16, with children age 2 and under free.
Two of Pauly’s favorite sunflower varieties are goldy doubles — which look like they’re covered in soft fur — and sorayas, which he said branch out nicely.
“They make you happy. You can’t help but smile,” Pauly said of the sunflowers. “They’re so iconic of the end of summer.”
The project was not without its challenges, chief among them figuring out how to space the plants and the timing of when which varieties would bloom. The shorter sunflowers took about two months, and the taller types, which are about 14 feet tall, about three months.
“We had to do a couple of plantings to synchronize all that,” Pauly said. “As soon as they’re ripe, the birds will be here.”
It took about three people to plant the sunflowers. The maintenance has been minimal so far and it gets weeded about once a week. Pumpkins, flowers and other plants surround the Sunflower House.
“It was really fun seeing how it changed through the whole season,” Pauly said, adding that now that the Sunflower House is in bloom, he has delighted in hearing the reaction from guests, particularly children who laugh as they run through the hallways.
“I think they just brighten up people’s attitudes and make the day a little better,” said Marge Wakefield, PR and communications coordinator at Billings. “I think that’s why I’m drawn to them.”
In addition to the Sunflower House, other new garden plots include plants for pollinators, ingredients to make a pizza and a replication of a World War II-era victory garden. There’s also a new garden shed where educational programs are hosted.
“We’ve been doing herbal tea time out here in the afternoons, making tea from the herbs we’re growing,” Wakefield said.
Editor’s note: For more information, visit billingsfarm.org or call 802-457-2355.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
