RALEIGH, N.C. — This year, the early part of July will be the peak blooming time for the Sunflower Field at Dix Park in Raleigh.

What You Need To Know

  • The Sunflower Field at Dix Park is five acres in size

  • The flowers have been displayed since 2018

  • During the typical two weeks of sustained blooming, park officials say 180,000 people visit the sunflowers

Park officials said during a typical two weeks of sustained blooming 180,000 people visit the sunflowers at Dix Park

While the flowers are blooming, park officials say the plants are not as numerous or as tall as previous years. That’s because of the recent hot weather. And they say, specifically, because of a lack of any decent rainfall.

“Yeah, so the heat is impacting the flowers, but honestly, it’s the rainfall,” said Lauren Danforth, the marketing and communications director for Dix Park. “We just haven’t had any rain this past month. And it’s been very dry. So, we irrigate the field out here, but nothing is good as having a good rain.”

On a day when the weather was nearly perfect, Irene and Sean Krohn were walking amongst the sunflowers. They had their dog, Venus, with them. The site is a place they really enjoy.

“So this is a really nice area to walk, get out in the sunshine,” Irene Krohn said. “And it’s fun because it’s so close to the city.”

As they continued their walk near the sunflowers, she compared the site to another place of recreation, a bit north of here.

“We live like 10 minutes away. So, it’s like Central Park. Central Park. In Raleigh, North Carolina,” she said.

We know that really hot weather is coming back soon. Everyone is hoping for some rain to fall too.