A Kansas farmer found 1.2 million ways to show his wife of 50 years how much he loves her.
Celebrating their golden anniversary in 2023, Lee Wilson surprised his wife Renee with a field of golden sunflowers, 24,000 for each year they were married.
Keep reading to learn more about this incredibly romantic gesture!
Lee Wilson was on a mission to find an extra special gift for his beautiful bride Renee, with whom he was celebrating 50 years of marriage.
The farmer, who lives in Pratt, Kansas, said their love story started when the two were in high school, and shares it was love at first sight.
“We met in high school. She couldn’t date until she was 16, and I called her on her 16th birthday and that’s when we started dating,” Lee recalled, sharing the sweet moments of their happy beginnings at a rink party in Harper, Kansas. “Our first date was a roller-skating party.”
It was then he knew she was “the one.”
He wasn’t wrong.
‘Perfect anniversary gift’
Months ahead of their August, 2023 anniversary, the doting husband started planning for his wife, who deserved a grand expression of love.
“Well, we’re celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary August 10th and you know, what’s a guy get his gal for the 50th?” Wilson tells ABC News affiliate KAKE-TV. “And I put a lot of thought into it, and she always liked sunflowers. And I thought this is the year to plant sunflowers, so I planted her 80 acres of sunflowers.”
Secretly executing his plan in May, Wilson recruited his son and together, they planted an expansive field of vibrant yellow flowers covering 80 acres of farmland in Pratt, Kansas.
The breathtaking surprise of golden blooms started popping in July and featured approximately 1.2 million sunflowers, which is about 15,000 per acre.
The brilliant and heartwarming floral display delivered about 24,000 sunflowers per year of marriage to Renee, who gushed over the thoughtful gift: “It made me feel very special. It couldn’t have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers.”
‘Sweetest gesture ever’
Visitors from across the state flocked to the Wilson’s swath of golden land, soaking up the field of vibrant sunflowers – the state flower of Kansas – that tells the story of enduring love.
Others, who couldn’t make the drive, shared their thoughts online, enthusing over the priceless anniversary present.
“This was the sweetest gesture ever…I’m speechless,” writes one netizen about the showstopping surprise. A second shares, “the purifying power of the sunflower is so very much like this man’s love for his wife! happy 50th.”
A third, praising the husband on his thoughtfulness, writes, “WoW! Love in full bloom. It is so very sweet.”
‘One time is enough’
Unfortunately, the farmer isn’t planning on blanketing his field with sunflowers every year.
“Oh it’s been fun but I think one time is enough for us. It’s somebody else’s turn next year,” Lee said.
If you missed the stunning spectacle last year, you can always grow your own. According to Martha Stewart, you “don’t need a sprawling field” to “grow large, tall, and cheerful flower heads that brighten and animate your yard.”
In many parts of the U.S., May is the best time to sow seeds in your garden soil, or even in a planter. The flowers will bloom through the summer and start fading in the fall. Not only will they bring sunshine to any day, but the large yellow flowers are easy to cultivate and known to attract butterflies, bees and little songbirds.
What is the most thoughtful gift someone has given you? Please share your comments with us and then share this story so we can hear from others!
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