A Perth woman with no previous gardening experience says she is “amazed” at managing to grow a sunflower 11 feet tall.
Claire Hay wanted to spruce up her green space while Covid-19 restrictions were still in place over the Easter holidays, so she dug a flowerbed and planted some seeds.
Now several of the flowers are towering over 5ft 3in Claire – the tallest of which is more than double her height.
She said: “We did our garden up just this year, we didn’t have a flowerbed or anything before.
“It’s just my own wee thing that I’ve picked up recently. It’s amazing watching something grow.”
Claire, 35, says her three children are delighted with their lockdown gardening success – and now love spending time outdoors.
Many family and friends are now turning to her for gardening advice.
She said: “I would just say to give them lots of attention – always remember to water them and feed them regularly. I water them every night.
“I’m growing tomatoes and peppers now – they’re actually just ripening.
“And next year, I think I’m going to try potatoes – we’re talking about maybe doing a vegetable patch.”
Claire’s husband Andy has also got the gardening bug.
“My husband wants to grow hops to make his own beer,” she added.
“We have a little pub in the shed, so I think that will be his next project.”
How tall do sunflowers normally grow?
The average height of a sunflower depends on the variety, but the likes of the American Giant grows to an average of 16ft – while others can be as small as 1ft or 2ft.
The Guinness World Record for the tallest sunflower is 30ft – which is more than nine metres.
It was grown by Hans-Peter Schiffer in Germany in 2014.