Check out this huge floral spectacle in Kelowna

After many conversations over the fence, local farmers Ron McMillan of McMillan Farms and Dave Semmelink of Lentelus Farms collaborated on what would be a massive botanical bonanza.

Over 5 acres of roughly half a million plants with a million flowers made up their inaugural sunflower maze.

“It's been a great partnership to kind of collaborate on something like this,” Semmelink told Kelowna10. “I need the fields reworked, and sunflowers are an amazing cover crop to kind of reinvigorate the soil and kickstart things again for putting it back into perennial pastures one day for livestock.”

The field had not been worked in a very long time, so preparations for the maze were rigorous.

McMillan said it was a lot of plowing, seeding, and tons of irrigation.

After that, it was just up to letting nature take its course until their opening on July 29th.

“It's been a little bit quiet to get started but this is because it's an inaugural event, you know, it's just getting the word out that we're here and that this is going on,” McMillan said. “I think also the heat, too, has maybe sort of kept people away a little bit because they're looking for maybe cooler things to do.”

However, he said the most spectacular thing is coming to the field as the sun sets.

With the bright Okanagan sun cresting the treeline, and temperatures being a bit more bearable, the maze truly becomes a sight to see.

“Flowers, in general, just make everybody happy,” McMillan explained. “I think people just love coming out here, it's bright, colourful and positive, kind of makes those smoky Okanagan days go away.”

Both partners are in agreement; this will certainly not be a one-time event.

“I think it's going to be, hopefully, something we do year after year, and this is just kind of the beginning, I think,” Semmelink said.

More information about the field, including ticket purchasing can be found online here.