A green-fingered dad has grown a sunflower as tall as his house after his four-year-old son challenged to him to do exactly that.
The flower is now a 20-foot high super-plant, which towers above the semi-detached home.
Douglas Smith, 42, from Stanstead Abbotts, Herts, planted the sunflower back in March and watched it thrive during lockdown.
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Today he has to use a ladder to reach the top of the monster plant.
Douglas' four-year-old son Stellan would never have imagined that the fairy tale-worthy sunflower would climb way above the highest point of his home.
The mighty sunflower stands at 20 foot from the roots to the base of the petals - or just over 21 foot, if measured over the curve from where the flower has drooped downwards under its own weight.
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As it stands, the current record for the tallest sunflower in Britain is held by Richard Hope, of Wigan, Greater Mancs., who set the record in 2012 with a whopping 26-foot tall flower.
Douglas' flower stands in a large wooden container 20 inches tall, and three foot in length by two foot in depth.
The garden-savvy dad said: "I had high hopes that it would still be growing - but I am glad that it's topped out a bit now.
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"I think it's probably got maybe another inch or two left in it to grow, but it's pretty much done.
"I've had to rig the flower up on something that's a little bit like a flagpole, attached to the top of the wooden stake, so that it doesn't curve down too much under its own weight.
"It's flowering at the moment - there's probably another week or so of flowering left, and then I'm hoping to leave it standing for as long as I can, to collect most of the seeds."
The sunflower had a good chance of growing tall, as Douglas was given the seed in a swap with John Butler, who holds the current record for tallest sunflower in North America.
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John's impressive plant stands at over 26 feet eight inches.
Douglas said: "A big part of it is to do with the genetics.
"I'm not sure specifically what variety of sunflower this is, but it's a bit like a thoroughbred horse - it came from a good start in life.
"But the flower will also reward any TLC you are able to give it. I go out to feed and water it a couple of times a day.
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"I'm up the ladder at 7.30am most mornings - which certainly wakes me up."
Four-year-old Stellan is delighted with the sunflower's progress, too.
He said: "Earlier this year he said he wanted a sunflower as tall as the house. I don't think people at his nursery believe him when he tells them he actually has one."
Douglas is no stranger to growing large plants - having previously grown an enormous pumpkin, and a tomato that weighed almost three kilos.
Little Shop of Horrors worthy, right?
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Home, Dad, Life, Garden