LAC LA BICHE - When Raymond Ulliac put in his annual garden in the late spring, never did he imagine that by the end of the season, there would be a 10-foot sunflower growing there.
The 86-year-old resident from the Lac La Biche region lives six kilometres west of Plamondon and grows sunflowers every year. He stated that this sunflower, which was planted during the May long weekend, is one of the tallest ones that has ever sprung from his garden.
“We have had ones close to the same height but this one bypassed it by a bit,” he told Lakeland This Week.
Now that winter has arrived, the towering sunflower will be stored away in the basement of Ulliac’s home to dry and then used to feed birds in the spring. Growing sunflowers, he said, is something he does in his free time when he isn’t busy working on the farm.
“I enjoy growing these sunflowers, and they make me feel happy, and successful,” he stated.
In addition to planting a garden and growing sunflowers, Ulliac also cultivates other types of flowers. He explained that for the past 10 years, his daughter-in-law has helped him with the flowers and always makes sure that he has purple pansies, hanging baskets, and petunias growing on the property. During periods of very dry weather, even if it doesn’t rain, he waters the plants and sunflowers, but never uses fertilizers.
“There are always lots of flowers throughout the farm,” he said. “Flowers make me happy.”
