Broadstreet is master photographer and master gardener

To say 93-year-old Les Broadstreet has a green thumb is an understatement.

The Marion High School class of 1936 alum has been an avid gardener most of his adult life.

“Gardening has always been my hobby or therapy,” he said.

And his ability showed this summer when he grew a 12-foot amaranthus.

Broadstreet’s son, Gail, gave him two flats of the plant last spring, which were planted in pots and tubs.

“Later when I was fertilizing my plants, I noticed on the bottle of fertilizer that it was guaranteed not to burn,” Broadstreet said. “I over fertilized two of the amaranthus.”

In just a few days, the plants shot up, so Broadstreet fertilized them some more.

By the time Marion County Fair arrived in July, the plants were 7 and 8 feet tall.

“One of the men here at the living center dug up the 7-foot plant, took it to the fair, and got a blue ribbon,” Broadstreet said.

The other one continued to grow to a whopping 12 feet. The other with no fertilizer is a more typical height of about 36 inches.

Kansas weather was hard on Broadstreet’s plant last week — the main stem broke, causing it to topple.

Since the disaster, the plant has been staked up and trimmed back. Broadstreet hopes it will survive so seeds can be used to reproduce the spectacular plant.

Many remember Broadstreet as a professional, master photographer in Marion and Wichita for 70 years. He and wife, Bernice, retired a few years ago and now live at St. Luke Living Center.

“I still love my hobby of growing flowers,” Broadstreet said.

The plants can be seen at the front entrance of the living center building. Broadstreet said he loves sharing his flourishing gems with friends and visitors.