MONROE, N.C. — There’s a field of green in Monroe that’s in the process of blooming into a sea of yellow.
Every year, thousands of sunflowers here attract visitors from hours away. But the man behind it doesn’t have to walk far to soak in its beauty.
“I look out here and 6:30 in the morning, somebody’ll be cutting them because their shift at the hospital starts at seven, and they want to take a patient some sunflower,” Ingram Walters said.
Walters called this field in Monroe “Sunflowers for Shut-ins” because he hopes visitors will take the flowers to hospitals or senior living centers.
He hires a farmer to plant new seeds every year. They’re in full bloom by July, and then families can come pick them free of charge. Channel 9’s Erika Jackson asked him why he does it for free.
“It just brings us so much joy to see people enjoy them,” Walters said.
That includes his wife, Missy. Walters told Jackson she had a stroke about seven years ago. That field was inspired by her recovery.
“She doesn’t get out a lot, [and] she loves sunflowers, and I knew from our den she could see the sunflowers, so I planted a whole field in sunflowers,” Walters said.
Walters told us the field is open for photos this week and next week. You can find it at 100 Harley Street in Monroe.
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