Is this UK's biggest sunflower this year?

Andrew Florendine, 43, has been growing gigantic vegetables and flowers for a number of years, and this year he thinks his monster sunflower is a record breaker.

Towering at 20 feet (six metres) tall above his garden in Grange Rd, is the tallest he has grown yet.

"I have been growing sunflowers for many, many years and I think this is the tallest I've grown yet, which is surprising, considing the weather, and I think this might be the tallest grown in the UK this year."

The father of two, who stands six feet tall himself, says the lofty sunflower towers above him and he has had to install scaffolding in his garden to support it

He added that it is just one of a number of monster plants he has grown over the years.

"I suppose it all goes back to when I used to visit my nan and she had these large sunflowers in her garden and I got hooked," he said.

"I grow giant pumpkins too and am a member of a giant growers club. My wife is not too keen as it spoils the vista in her garden especially as the sunflower is wrapped in polythene," said Andrew.

While Andrew's sunflower could be the tallest in the UK this year, his 20 foot plant is still shy of the UK's tallest ever sunflower grown by Richard Hope, of Wigan who set the record in 2012 with a whopping 26-foot tall flower.

Hans-Peter Schiffer from the town of Karst in Germany holds the record for the world's tallest sunflower, which grew to an incredible 30 feet 1 inch (9.17 metres) plant.

Have you grown a taller sunflower than 20 feet? Get in touch: richard.williams@mnamedia.co.uk