What special gift do you give to the person you’ve been married to for 50 years? That’s the question Lee Wilson, a farmer in Kansas, asked himself as his anniversary approached. He first met his wife, Renee, in high school, though the two didn’t become a couple immediately due to the fact that she couldn’t date anyone until she turned 16 years old.

As soon as her birthday came around, however, Lee gave Renee a call. The two of them had their first date at a roller skating party, and they’ve been together ever since! Thinking back on their decades of being in love, Lee knew he had to do something special.

Finally, it hit him: He’d plant acres-worth of her favorite flower.

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“I put a lot of thought into it and she always liked sunflowers,” Lee said. “And I thought this is the year to plant sunflowers so I planted her 80 acres of sunflowers.”

With the help of their son, Lee has secretly been planting the fields with these beautiful flowers since May. Now, just a week away from their August 10 anniversary, about 1.2 million sunflowers are in bloom, just for Renee.

“It made me feel very special,” Renee said. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers.”

Lee and Renee smile as they stand in their field of sunflowers. Lee has an arm around Renee’s shoulder.

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Although the flowers were planted for Renee, their beauty is drawing in visitors from all around Kansas. As lovely as this whole experience has been, Lee doesn’t expect to do it again next year. Though, he does encourage others to try this lovely gift-idea out.

“Oh it’s been fun, but I think one time is enough for us,” Lee said. “It’s somebody else’s turn next year.”