Daffodils blooming early on Okatie ‘U Pick’ farm. Here’s when the fields will open
This week may be colder than it’s been all winter in the Lowcountry, but one sign of spring is coming a little early.
U Pick Daffodils is opening its fields in Okatie starting on Saturday.
Chuck Merrick, the farm’s co-owner with his wife, Diane, said the fields will be ready for the public to visit starting Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
He said flower fans have the mild winter to thank for the early opening.
“We’ve had some frost but haven’t really frozen,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s got to get down to 25 to damage the flowers.”
Saturday’s weather is expected to be cool but sunny, with a high in the low 50s, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston.
Picking brilliant yellow flowers at the farm on 48 Pinckney Colony Road in Okatie — and posting photos of the fields on social media — are annual rites for many in the Beaufort County area. The farm is open to the public only for a brief time each year while the flowers are blooming and the weather is nice.
Last year, on the heels of Hurricane Irma and January’s snowfall, the farm had a short season with a delayed opening in mid-February.
In 2017, the farm opened in late January for the first time in its history, Merrick told The Island Packet at the time. Saturday’s opening will be an earlier opening than that year.
Hours, dates open
Though the fields have around 100,000 daffodil plants, Merrick cautioned that there are limited number of blooms this early in the season. He said they may close early in the day if they run out of blooms.
“Last year, we got run over,” he said.
Those who plan to visit in the afternoon may text Merrick at 843-368-1998 to be sure there are blooms available.
If you don’t make it out this weekend, you’ll get other chances. Weather permitting, the fields will be open on weekends — and some days during the week depending on blooms available — until early or mid-March.
The farm updates its Facebook page and website to notify customers about when it is open. It also has an email list customers can sign up for at www.upickdaffodils.com.
Each flower picked costs 25 cents, but already picked daffodils are available for a little bit more. The farm accepts cash and checks only.
This story was originally published January 22, 2019 at 1:39 PM.
