A resident at The Orchards in Thornbury has won Linden Homes’ tallest sunflower competition, although his impressive 3.1m submission didn’t quite beat the world record of 9.17m!A resident at The Orchards in Thornbury has won Linden Homes’ tallest sunflower competition, although his impressive 3.1m submission didn’t quite beat the world record of 9.17m!
Launched during National Gardening Week in the spring, Linden Homes ran a competition for its residents to see who could grow the tallest sunflower. The winner, Ed Goodeve-Docker, a relationship manager, commented: “I thought I’d enter for a bit of fun but couldn’t believe it when the sunflower kept growing and I had to get a ladder to measure it! My garden is south west facing and it obviously provided the perfect conditions for it to grow. I definitely advise growing lots in close proximity and I’m going to spend my voucher on a few things for the house and the kids – not on more sunflower seeds as a few people have suggested!”
Natasha Palmer, regional sales manager for Linden Homes, explained: “We thought it would be a great idea to hold a sunflower competition amongst our homeowners, as we have a lot of keen gardeners and children living at our developments. We supplied them with the seeds and the race was on – a huge well done to Ed!”
How to plant a champion sunflower:
- You can sow your sunflowers seeds where they’ll flower, just ensure it’s weed free and try to choose a spot that is sheltered from the winds
- Rake the soil and dig some small holes approximately 12mm deep and at least 10cm apart
- Place the seed in carefully, cover with soil and water it gently
- Keep an eye out for slugs and snails – you could protect it by cutting the top off a plastic bottle to protect the seedlings
- Make sure it has enough water when it’s hot and enjoy watching it grow!
- You can help support it with a cane by loosely tying some string around the stem
Did you know:
- Kansas is known as the sunshine state and it’s also the state flower of Kansas
- Vincent Van Gogh painted several pictures of sunflowers during 1887-8, but he never painted a single artwork entitled ‘Sunflowers’
- They’ve travelled in space! In 2012 an astronaut from the US took seeds to space and recorded their growth
- The French word for sunflowers is ‘tournesol’ which means ‘turns with the sun’
Linden Homes is creating a stunning collection of four and five bedroom homes in Thornbury. The homes are well-designed and close to good schools and local amenities, with easy access to the motorway and just 12 miles from the city of Bristol.
For further details visit the show home and marketing suite, off Butt Lane, Thornbury, BS35 1RA, open daily from 10am to 5pm, call 01454 649343
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Media can contact Emma Mackay on 077383 12960 for more information, images and interviews with Linden Homes.
