The calendar says it’s January, but the weather is telling a different story at the U-Pick Daffodil farm in Okatie.
“The daffodils are popping up like crazy with this week’s warmer weather,” reads a post on the farm’s website. The farm is located at 48 Calhoun Plantation Road in Okatie.
Chuck and Diane Merrick, the family farm’s co-owners, evaluate their fields and watch for rain when deciding whether or not to open.
“We try to be open Saturdays, but it doesn’t always work out because of the rain,” Chuck Merrick said. “We have to work around the weather, and we have to work around the flowers blooming.”
The family planted 48,000 daffodil bulbs in an assortment of varieties for the 2020 season, Chuck Merrick said. The variety means plants will be blooming throughout the season, which generally ends in early to mid-March.
Among the new varieties that are not yet blooming are the “Red Devon,” which has an orange center, while others, like “Jonquilla,” are smaller and known for their sweet fragrance.
