Do you have the tallest sunflower?

We’ve been taking a look at the amazing efforts of green-fingered residents who have been growing some whopping sunflowers!
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Oct 2015, 19:15 BST
Carole England's sunflower. (S)Carole England's sunflower. (S)
Carole England's sunflower. (S)

Bob Phillips told us he regularly sprinkles water and super grow mix on to neighbour Terry Williams’s sunflower in Brier Crescent, Nelson, which has seen the plant sprout to the grand height of 8ft. 6in. tall.

And here are some more ... six-year-old Ruby Cryer, of Barrowford, has grown her gigantic 12ft. sunflower from a seed and needs a stepladder to admire it properly.

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Dad Anthony said: “It started growing in a small plant pot in the kitchen window before being planted outside in the back garden.

Six-year-old Ruby Cryer with her sunflower. (S)Six-year-old Ruby Cryer with her sunflower. (S)
Six-year-old Ruby Cryer with her sunflower. (S)

“It is an amazing sunflower as it has several heads and is certainly a talking point for our neighbours. Ruby has enjoyed watering this sunflower and watching it grow.”

The tallest of Daniel and Gillian Beckwith’s sunflowers is a tremendous 10ft. 1in. planted in the couple’s front garden in Charles Street, Colne.

Daniel said: “My wife Gillian, who is hiding in the foliage, is 4ft. 11in. to give you a scale of them.

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“They have attracted quite a bit of attention from passers by and we were amazed at how well they have grown having never grown them before.”

Gillian Beckwith hides in the sunflowers in her and husband Daniel's front garden. (S)Gillian Beckwith hides in the sunflowers in her and husband Daniel's front garden. (S)
Gillian Beckwith hides in the sunflowers in her and husband Daniel's front garden. (S)

Avid gardener Carole England of Harrison Drive, Colne, has also been in touch with her 8ft. 7in. towering 12 headed sunflower.

She said: “I’ve had a bigger one but I’ve just cut it down as it had died! The head on that one was a massive 20in.

“I’ve never had one with more than one flower before but this one has 12 and just keeps going up and up and up.

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“It came out the same pack as the one with the single head. There does seem to be some whoppers about!”

Sunflower Facts:

The tallest sunflower measures 9.17m (30ft 1in) and was grown by Hans-Peter Schiffer in Germany, as verified in August 2014. Hans-Peter has held this record three time before.

The sunflower is a large inflorescence, this means the flower head is actually made of many tiny flowers called florets.

The flower head can be 30cm (11.8in) wide

The sunflower is native to the Americas and was used by Native American Indians for food, as oil, in bread, medical ointments, dyes and body paints

Kansas is often known as the Sunflower state and the flower is Kansas’s state flower. It is also the national flower of Ukraine.

Related topics:NelsonBarrowford