A NATURE-OBSESSED PERSON... can be forgiven for hit the pause button, inside their brain, after wildflower season wraps up. It can be quite the fabulous time, of course, finding all of those petal-filled spreads, but also frenetic, and a flower fan almost just wants a brief respite before it is time to start thinking about fall foliage. But does the flower show ever really come to a close, at any point in the calendar, around California? Answer: No, it does not, and thank goodness for that. Look to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, which are enjoy their own lupine-lovely moments as summer draws near, and look to Lompoc, a spot known for its spectacular cultivated flowers. The mural-filled gem of a town isn't too far from the ocean, nor wine country, and its ideal location means blossoms positively burst here, and they do so over a number of warm-weather weeks. And adding the cherry to this sundae? It's the...
LOMPOC VALLEY FLOWER FESTIVAL, which will spread out, like a riot of flowers in a soil-rich plot, over the final five days of June 2019. The flowery festival is very much about its parade, and flower displays, and food booths, and arts & crafts exhibitors, and all of the fair-like doings that have become a part of the venerable festival. But several fields near Lompoc are also in on the flowery action, and reports say that a host of petal-pretty plants are reaching peak bloom. What are some of the flowers you might see if you call upon Lompoc and its environs from April to September, its traditional bloom season? "Stock, Larkspur, Delphinium, Queen Annes Lace, Bupleurum, and Bells of Ireland" are some of the lovely growers you might come across. Note that these are private fields, so snapping pics in the middle of a purple or pink spread of petal-filled wonder will not happen, but you can certainly drive by the fields and admire them from afari.
MORE INFORMATION... on Lompoc's bud-laden-est moment of the year? Keep track of what's blooming, and where you should go, right here, at Explore Lompoc.