Giant sunflower could be the tallest in Grantham

A Grantham man hopes to be the owner of the tallest sunflower in town.

Keen gardener Gordon Hilton, of Winchester Road, started growing the sunflower in January.

Standing over 10ft tall, it now towers over his garden fence.

Despite the plant’s love of sunshine and hot, tropical conditions, the rainy weather hasn’t stopped it from thriving.

Gordon, who moved to Grantham 21 years ago, said: “I bought the seeds from Wilko at the start of the year and have loved to watch it grow. It now stands at 123 inches high. I’m 5ft 8 and it towers over me. I had another one that was nearly as tall but I had to cut it down as it was dying.”

The former prison officer spends a couple of hours tending to his garden each day.

The 88-year-old added: “People that have seen it have been really surprised at how tall it is now. They ask if I’m trying to grow a beanstalk like the one from Jack and the Beanstalk.”

It’s not just Gordon who loves the vibrant colours of the sunflower.

He added: “The bees love it and you can see where they’ve been at the nectar. It’s lovely to see them on it.”

The current record for the tallest sunflower measures 9.17 m (30 ft 1 in) and was grown by Hans-Peter Schiffer in Germany, as verified on August 28, 2014 by the Guiness World Records.