One of the most satisfying parts of growing a sunflower is seeing it shoot up. A sunflower can grow to huge heights before it flowers, so if you don’t see a bud or flower yet - your sunflower just hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
Fancy sending us a snap and pegging your sunflower against others? Get out a tape measure and send us a picture like Lorraine has, theirs is 40 inches/101 cm or Gladys' has reached 80cm, almost 32 inches! Email or whatsapp us a picture with you measuring your sunflower with a tape measure and you’ll feature in our sunflower gallery.
Is your sunflower as tall as…
- - A traffic cone (75 cm)
- - A guitar (1 m)
- - A pillar post box (5ft 4in/163cm)
- - Actor Stephen Merchant! (6 ft 7 in/201cm)
As we get more into summer, you might start seeing more birds and beasts in the garden - including beloved bees! Would you like to know the names of all the creatures in your garden? We’ve identified some of the most common thanks to FSC’s colourful guides.
Common Carder Bee
This photo was taken by Roger A last year. The common carder bee is noticeble from its fluffy ginger and sometimes stripey body. Only three bees species are all-ginger.
Harlequin Ladybird Larvae
You might spot over 25 different types of ladybird larvae in your garden. They're very different to lady birds, often with a longer black body with tufts and yellow, red or orange specks. The Harquein has a red semi circle in the middle of its body.
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly
This stunning butterfly turned up in many gardens last year. The above photos are from Sally F, Rachel B and Margaret R. You can identify a small tortoiseshell butterfly when the wings are open, as they display a reddish orange colouration, with black and yellow markings on the primary wings and a ring of blue spots close to the periphery of the wings.
For more explanations, you can check out FSC's guide of what else you can find in your garden.
Get more gardening tips in shows like Garden Rescue and The Instant Gardener. Catch up or watch live on the Together TV streaming service >>
Check out the Sunflower grower Gallery | Go to the My Sunflower Challenge Homepage
