The story behind the tallest sunflower in Co Antrim

Five months later the 13-year-old was able to see the sunflower, now an impressive three metres and 95 centimetres tall, standing proudly above the allotment in the Town Park in Larne.

Evie’s sunflower finished first in a competition for children aged 16 and under as part of the council’s annual ‘In Bloom’ initiative.

Runners-up were Ella Blair, aged 10, from Carrickfergus with a three metre 55 centimetre sunflower, and Cali McCormick, aged five, from Carnlough, with a three metre 44 centimetre sunflower.

Evie’s mum Helen said: “My father’s allotment is in the Town Park just behind our house. Evie can see the allotment from the bedroom, so she would see if he was round there and go round and give him a hand.”

The Larne Grammar pupil has proved to be a great help to her grandfather Alfie Hamilton.

Helen said: “They’ve grown them the last few years. He was runner up in an allotment competition with the council.

“The last two years Evie has entered the sunflower competition, but has been runner up. She hit the top spot this year, she’s really delighted.

“I think this year with the weather being so good early on and probably with it being lockdown they got a bit more attention than normal.”

The competition was open to young people aged 16 and under and helped spread some much needed cheer as schools came to an abrupt end as a result of lockdown.

In total the council distributed over 7,000 packets of sunflower seeds to local shops and community centres in April, just in time for some very welcome warm weather in May and June. And, even though the rain returned in July and August, the results were spectacular as always with many using the extra time at home to tend to their gardens and those very special sunflower seeds.

Mayor Peter Johnston said he was overwhelmed by the number of entrants this year: “This has been a very strange and challenging year for us all and especially our younger residents who have had to miss school and the many social and academic opportunities that goes with it.

“However, it has been heartening to see so many develop such a keen interest in this competition and give so much of their time and energy to cultivating and caring for their sunflowers.

“This competition really catches the imagination each year and after months of tender loving care by these young gardeners it is wonderful to see the end results.”