It's sunflower season at thelargest sunflower farm in Northern Taiwan.Located in Guanyin, Taoyuan,anestimated 10,000 crowns of yellowcolorthe rows of farmlandat Sun & Green between May and October each year.
The leisure farm was founded byHuang Yong-lin, a graduate of Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s program on plant industry, in 2001. He's sinceturned the landinto a lush, 54,000 square-footeco-paradise.
Sunflowers aren't native to Taiwan. But the blooms, perhaps best captured in popular imagination by Vincent van Gogh’s swirling studies in yellow,have become a mainstay inthe Taiwan'snorthern fertile subtropical climate in recent years. The flower roots originally traceback to North America, where they was firstcultivated as early as 3000 BC.Spanish explorers brought the seeds across the Atlantic during the 1500s, and by the early 19th century, Russians mass farmed the plant for its seeds and oil, making the sunflower explode in popularity around the globe.
Though floriculture or flower farming has been around in Taiwan sinceat least the 1600s, the country got into the flower market in a major way to meet market demands in the second half of the 20th century. By 1990, the acres of land used for flower cultivation hadmore than doubledover a five year period.
After Taiwan became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2002, so-called leisure farms, which grow flowers and high-quality foodstuff,became a way forward forTaiwan's agriculture industry, which struggled tocompete head on with larger international markets, as Jens Kastner writes for Taiwan Today.To help boost these farms, Taiwan's government started promoting agricultural tourism to draw visitors the doorsteps of boutique growers, as well.In the words of the Council of Agriculture MinisterChen Wu-hsiungin 2008, the continued influx of flower fans has helped turn Taiwan into a "world-class flower island."
Taiwan’s bounty of sunflowers alsostems from the country’s push against genetically modified crops.In 2012, the Council of Agriculture launched afallow land revitalization program. The deal gives growers incentives to let farmland restfor a period of time before they plant non-GMO grains and crops. Bonus: Sunflowers act as a natural fertilizer, adding to the proliferation of the sunny blossoms in Taiwan. The bright flowers have becomethe poster plant for fallow land all over the country—not just becausethey're good for the soil, but also because they’re easy on the eyes.
Thefields at Sun & Green are a sight to see. Yong-lin has bred his flowers to stand waist-high (typical sunflower stalkscan rangefrom 12 inches to more than 20 feet) so that visitors can easily pick their own plants. The farm also educates visitors on thesunflower growing process, explaining how they gofrom seed to bloom and why they've become beloved around the world.
There are at least 11 breeds of sunflowers growingat Sun & Green. But they're not just found in the fields; the farm's restaurant also cooks them up.While sippinga cup of sunflower tea might not seem too peculiar, visitors can also order up more imaginative mash-ups likesunflower sausage, sunflower ice cream and sunflower cookies.
Sunflower season will be over come November, but the farm itselfoperates yearround, growing lavender and snapdragons in the winter and lilies in the spring. Holding out for the bright yellow blooms? Watch them take a final bow in Taiwan as part of the spectacularXinshe Sea of Flowers Festival, whichbrings a rainbow of color toTaichungevery November.
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Jackie Mansky | | READ MORE
Jacqueline Mansky is a freelance writer and editor living in Los Angeles. She was previously the assistant web editor, humanities, for Smithsonian magazine.
