A zinger of a Zinnia Patch

Sorry, guys, but if you live near Woodland, Calif., you have no excuse not to give flowers this summer to your mom, wife, girlfriend, grandmother, or any other target of affection. Actually, ladies, that goes for us, too.

Sitting somewhat mirage-like off the side of a highway and behind a handpainted sign that says “Free Flowers/Flores Gratis” is a stunning sight: two acres of brightly colored zinnias …. free for the taking. It’s the vision of Zinnia Patch farmer Mark Mezger blossoming into view in bee-laden bursts of pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, whites, purples and fuschias.

So earnest is Mezger’s hope that people will not only come and enjoy this site, but also take some flowers for themselves and others who could use a brightened day, he has set out a table of empty vases for visitors to fill and take home.

The flowers are in bloom mid-June through September, and the patch never closes. (Picking zinnias by moonlight sounds pretty romantic, no?) There is a catch.  It’s really more of a request, as there are no “flower police” to enforce it, but it’s worth taking to heart:  He wants visitors to also pick a bouquet for someone who couldn’t come, preferably a senior citizen.

When my family visited a couple of weekends ago, I brought my senior citizen with me (sorry, mom, but it’s true!) … my mother. Isn’t she cute?

It was a hot day under the sun, and daughter Lily was pretty whiny in the heat, but it’s hard to be unhappy when you’re surrounded by a field of zinnias. (But darned if she didn’t try…)

What could have driven a man–and several volunteers– to plant two acres of zinnias and just give them all away? Was this some sort of love tribute, a la the Taj Mahal, farmer-style? Is he striving for the title of Patron Saint of Free Beautiful Flowers?

It turns out that Mezger started the zinnia patch three years ago after a farmers’ appreciation dinner and dance at a barn in nearby Zamora. Each table at the dinner had a bouquet of flowers. There were so many flowers that, when the party was over, the generous Mezger delivered more than 30 vases of them to retirement homes in Woodland. The delighted look on the people’s faces as he gave them their flowers inspired him to grow this patch so he could continue to give back in this way to the community. Now, every day, he has someone come out to pick zinnias and take them to retirement homes around Woodland.

Since our visit, the Davis Enterprise “scooped me” 😉 and wrote a nice article about Mezger and his Zinnia Patch. The Woodland Democrat also wrote about it in March, when Mezger was selected as Woodlander of the Month. But since not everyone in the world reads our local papers, I thought I’d share what was probably the prettiest farm visit I’ve experienced yet. Thank you, Mr. Mezger.

To get to the Zinnia Patch from Davis or Sacramento, take Highway 5 north. Take the Yolo Exit off to the right. Turn right at the top of the offramp, then left on Highway 99W, running parallel to Highway 5. Drive about 2 miles to the zinnia fields on your left. Bring scissors.

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