Get outta here and go walking through wildflowers

By Liz Barry

Published: July 10, 2008

I’m leaving Lynchburg on Sunday to pursue a girlhood dream: to frolic barefoot through a vast meadow of pink and purple wildflowers. It’s a scene straight from “The Wizard of Oz,” and I am Dorothy.

My destination is the Valley of Virginia Wildflower Meadows & Country Antiques in Fairfield. Their Web site boasts 6 acres of wildflower meadows, with peak blooms in June and July. My timing is
perfect.

But nature has other plans. When I arrive, the fields are as sparse as the hairs on Donald Trump’s head — that is, not totally bald, but lacking in essential lushness. The groundskeeper informs me that flowers blanketed the meadows in May, creating a stunning mosaic of color. People passing by car would pull over to gape. But the heat wave in June diminished the bloom, causing many flowers to wither into brittle stalks.

“Some of them are making a comeback now,” says Susan McDowell, owner of the land with her husband Jim McDowell.

Dreams aside, my trip to the meadows is still worth it. The McDowells maintain nature trails that crisscross the meadows, and wind past a goat barn and lily pond. Benches and picnic tables dot that trail at strategic locations, providing stunning views of the countryside.

Right now, the black-eyed Susans, shasta daisies, gloriosa daisies and purple coneflowers are in bloom. Yellow flowers will dominate in late summer, with blooms lasting until early October, she says.

“I always tell people to enjoy it when you see it, because it’s not going to be the same when you come back,” McDowell says.

The McDowells, both garden lovers, planted the wildflower fields about six years ago, just to see if they could do it, she says. When the meadows flourished, they opened it up to the public.

But the blooms proved to be something of an oxymoron. Though the flowers are “wild,” they require plenty of TLC to keep weeds and tall grasses from choking them.

As I wander the meadows, I spot hazy blue mountains in the distance. The sky is gray and ominous, but still a distant threat.

The trail leads me to a pen containing three bearded goats with horns as thick as my arm. I bond with an alpine goat named Cookie, who regards me with beady eyes.

Last, I enter a 1788 manor house to survey the small collection of antiques for sale. Nothing catches my eye, so I take the advice of McDowell and head down the road to the Rockbridge Vineyard.

The vineyard offers year-round tours and tastings. Winemaker Shepherd Rouse creates 20 different wines, with Tuscarora White and Tuscarora Red among the most popular.

With an hour’s drive ahead of me and the sky looking like it’s about to explode, I grab some brochures and dash out of the winery’s tasting room.

As I pull away, fat raindrops plop onto my windshield. I can only hope that those wildflowers got a dose of much-needed rain.

if you’re going
WHAT: Valley of Virginia Wildflower Meadows & Country Antiques
WHERE: 76 McClure Blvd., Fairfield, Virginia
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed.  - Sat., noon - 5 p.m. Sunday
COST: Free; donations requested for maintenance of the meadows
INFO: Call (540) 348-5885 or visit http://www.antiquesvirginia.com. Best to call ahead to see what’s in bloom. Rockbridge Vineyard is 4 miles down the road at 25 Hill View Lane, Raphine. Vineyard hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday - Monday. Call (540) 377-6204 or visit http://www.rockbridgevineyard.com.