Farmer surprises wife with 80 acres of sunflowers for 50th wedding anniversary

Lee Wilson managed to keep the floral bonanza a secret from his wife.

July 31, 2023, 3:25 PM

What do you get your partner on your 50th wedding anniversary?

Lee Wilson decided not just to get your average bouquet of flowers but a whole 80 acres of sunflowers. That equals about 1.2 million sunflowers, according to Wilson.

"We're celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 10 and you know, what's a guy get his gal on their 50th? 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 we planted her 80 acres of sunflowers," Wilson told ABC News affiliate KAKE-TV in Wichita.

PHOTO: Lee and Renee Wilson have been together since high school and have been married for 50 years.
Lee and Renee Wilson have been together since high school and have been married for 50 years.
KAKE

Wilson teamed up with his son to plant the striking flowers back in May and they managed to keep it all a secret from Renee.

The sunflower field has now sprouted into a glorious sea of sunny-yellow blooms off the south side of Highway 54, four miles outside of Pratt, Kansas, where the Wilsons live. The eye-catching display has drawn crowds who want to catch a glimpse of the big blooms, which also happen to be Kansas' state flower.

PHOTO: For his 50th wedding anniversary, Lee Wilson and his son teamed up to plant 80 acres of sunflowers to surprise Wilson's wife Renee Wilson.
For his 50th wedding anniversary, Lee Wilson and his son teamed up to plant 80 acres of sunflowers to surprise Wilson's wife Renee Wilson.
KAKE

"It made me feel very special. It couldn't have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers," Renee Wilson told KAKE.

The Wilsons have been together since high school and Lee Wilson said their first date was a roller-skating party, when he knew she was likely "the one" for him.