Paula Fleckney’s West Moors giant-headed flower
Ron Copp’s sunflower reached over 7′
Jean Read, chairman of Ferndown in Bloom, along with mags4dorset’s Janine Pulford, the joint sponsor of the tallest sunflower competition, took to the road with a stepladder to measure the entries.
Little did they know that despite the poor weather, this year’s sunflowers were so big, the stepladder wouldn’t even make it out of the back of the car.
Judging took place on Tuesday 1 September, but due to the height of some of the plants, poles had to be taped together to reach the top of the flowers.
Janine said, “We weren’t expecting giant specimens after the summer we’ve had, but we had a big surprise when we saw the size of some of the sunflowers. The owners had nurtured them lovingly in the hope that their blooms would win the prize of a Haskins £50 gift card.”
Jean said, “It was an exceptional competition. Congratulations to all who entered.”
A special mention goes to Ron Copp who lost his leg 18 months ago, but continues gardening with passion. His tallest sunflower measured over 7′.
Had it been the biggest sunflower-head competition, Paula Fleckney from West Moors would have walked away with the prize. The winner of the tallest flower will be announced at the Ferndown In Bloom presentation ceremony at Haskins Garden Centre later this month.
