A SUNFLOWER measuring over 14 feet has won Melksham Town Council’s annual competition.
The winner of the Melksham in Bloom 2021 sunflower competition was Arthur Ephgrave, whose flower soared into the heavens at 432cm (that’s over 14 feet!)
“Incredibly, this is nearly a full metre taller than the tallest sunflower from 2020, and that was no slouch at over 10 feet tall,” reports Melksham Town Council.
The prize for the widest sunflower head, was shared between two winners, brothers Brayden and Mason Alford and six-year-old Harvey Argar.
“There was not a sunflower seed between the two behemoths,” said the town council.
Asked about the phenomenal size of their joint-winning flower, the young Alford brothers said, “We have had lots of fun watching our sunflowers grow and get taller each day! We are very proud that they have won an award”.
The town council continued, “A huge congratulations to the winning entries and thank you to everyone who took part!
“Remember, the time will come around again next year to reach for the sky, sunflower-style. You never know, if everything falls into place you may give Hans-Peter Schiffer a run for his money. Schiffer holds the world record for the tallest sunflower ever grown at over 30 feet! That’s just shy of the typical height of a telegraph pole.
“If you achieve this, Melksham Town Council’s official sunflower measuring department will have no choice but to hire a cherry picker for judging day. See you next year!”
The town council hosted a private awards presentation last week at the Assembly Hall. They say, “We are incredibly grateful to Old Milestone Nursery who have generously contributed to the prizes for the Melksham in Bloom Competition this year.”
The results of the competition in full were: Tallest Sunflower: First – Arthur Ephgrave (432cm); Second – Harvey Argar (346cm); Third – Helen, Amy and Logan Atkins (315cm). Widest Sunflower head: Joint first – Brayden & Mason Alford (33cm) and Harvey Argar (33cm); Second – Helen, Amy and Logan Atkins (23cm); Third – Arthur Ephgrave (22cm).
