Scotsdales

tallest Sunflower Competition

Grow the tallest sunflower to win a £100 Scotsdales voucher and your name on the Sunflower Shield!

Share a photo of yourself with your sunflower and a measuring tape on Instagram with the hashtag #ScotsdalesSunnies or send to Sunflowers@scotsdales.com.

Competition closes Sunday 1st September. The winner will be contacted directly after the competition closes. Competition open to all ages.

Start growing yours today

Competition Details

How to take part

Share a photo of yourself with your sunflower and a measuring tape on Instagram with the hashtag #ScotsdalesSunnies or send to Sunflowers@scotsdales.com.

Prizes

Grow the tallest sunflower to win a £100 Scotsdales voucher and your name on the Sunflower Shield!

Competition Closing date

Competition closes Sunday 1st September. The winner will be contacted directly after the competition closes. Competition open to all ages.

Growing Guide

If you're new to growing and unsure where to start then read our helpful grow guide for help and support.

Last Year's Winner

Well done to Paul Fisher who grew his sunflower to a whopping 4.93M! (16.17ft).

A message from Paul

“I’m delighted to have won the Scotsdales tallest sunflower competition. I have been growing sunflowers in my garden for over 25 years and had always saved the tallest and largest head from the original Russian Giant seed packet. Distributing the seeds to the local school and community.

This year, I’ve had 3 beauties between 15 feet, to just over 16 feet, and it is wonderful to be able to share them with you.”

Gallery

Notable Entires from previous years

Discover how to grow sky scraping sunnies

Sunflower Growing Guide

Picking the Right Variety
Look out for giant varieties such as Russian Giant and Tall Single.

Sowing, When & Where
Sow seed under glass in April, or directly outdoors in late April – June once the risk of frost has passed. Sow two seeds per peat pot about 1.5cm deep. Remove the weaker seedling as it grows and plant out the whole pot to avoid disturbing roots. Sunflowers need a sunny, sheltered position and do well in multi-purpose compost.

Deep Roots & Standing Tall
Tall plants need stabilising by tying to with long bamboo canes. Dig in plenty of organic matter or compost when planting out the young plant to encourage roots to grow deep.

Pecky Pests & Side Shoots
Slugs love young sunflower plants, so look out for signs of slug activity. Remove side shoots to encourage the plant to grow one tall flower.

Feeding & Watering
Water regularly as the plant grows, avoid letting the plant dry out! Add a high nitrogen feed until the flower head forms then feed with a more balanced feed.

Treat the Wildlife
Once the plant has gone to seed, collect some seeds to grow next year. Hang up the seed head for birds and squirrels to enjoy.

Start Growing Your Sunflowers Today