STORIES about giant sunflowers have made regular appearances in The Mail over the years.

In September 1991, the newspaper featured six-year-old Jonathan Smith with the towering sun flower he grew from seed at South Newbarns Infants School, Barrow.

The flower stood at 10ft 6in, while Jonathan measured just 3ft 7in.

Two Barrow children from Longreins Road showed off a stunning sunflower in their back yard in August 1996.

Mandy, 10, and Scott, eight, who were both keen gardeners, had grown a sunflower to the height of around 12 to 13 feet.

It was so tall it nearly reaches the first floor bedroom window.

Mandy said: “We planted three sunflowers but the weakest one has grown the tallest.”

And the secret to the success of growing such tall plants was sheep manure.

The children’s mother, Christine Berry, said: “They’ve always been interested in gardening and have grown parsley and tomato plants.”

In August 1997, four-year-old mini gardener Kayleigh Livesey was ‘over the moon’ after one of her three sunflowers had shot up to 10ft 3in.

The little girl followed her grandfather Thomas Livesey around the garden in Red Oak Avenue, Holbeck, each evening and while he watered his flowers from a big watering can she watered her three sunflowers with a special diddy watering can.

Her grandmother Brenda Livesey said: “She has grown one previously since her grandfather showed her how but it did not grow as tall as this. She’s over the moon about it.”

Another of Kaleigh's sunflowers was nearly as tall and a third was doing alright but nothing special.

Meanwhile in March 1993 crocuses were blooming around Furness.

Abbey Road at Barrow, from the old stone trough westward, was providing a lovely spectacle, even though the flowers were not yet fully established after no more than two or three years in the ground below the roadside trees.