An Ayrshire couple believe they may have grown the tallest sunflower in the region. Jackie Ridge and her partner Alan reckon their plant, standing at almost 12 feet, is head and shoulders above the rest.
Challenge issued to fellow gardeners
Now the gauntlet has been thrown down to fellow gardeners to see who is Ayrshire's top sunflower grower. Jackie said: "I have a giant sunflower in my garden and think it's probably the tallest in Ayr. I'd like to issue a challenge, it's approximately 11ft 6ins and we want to see who has got the tallest one in Ayrshire."
Jackie and Alan grew the sunflower from seed. Initially kept in a greenhouse, it was planted in their Ayr garden in mid-April. In the four or so months since then, the sunflower has grown in leaps and bounds.
Giant varieties and the UK record
Many sunflower varieties grow to giant lengths, including Russian Giant, Pike's Peak, and American Giant, which are frequently chosen by growers aiming for maximum height. As things stand, an English man holds the UK record for the tallest sunflower, reaching a height of 26 feet.
Jackie and Alan, who live on Castlehill Road, are unsure which variety they have, but they are nevertheless mightily proud of it. Jackie said: "It's enormous! We estimate that it's 11 feet six inches but Alan reckons it's even taller.
"When you come down the road you can see it sticking out. It grew from eight seeds and now we have five heads that have grown in the bunch. The tallest are the yellow and red ones but we don't know what variety they are. We bought the seeds locally and it's just shot up."
Support and community fun
The couple have supported the plant with bamboo and fixed wires, and since then it has really taken on. Jackie said: "We are right behind Holmston Primary School so I'm sure the children can see it too. It's fun and we all need a bit of fun these days, don't we?"
Can you beat Jackie and Alan's sunflower effort? Send in your sunflower pictures and height details to news@ayrshirepost.co.uk.
