by Thompson & Morgan | Oct 20, 2015 | Competitions, Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Just 3 days left to enter the Thompson & Morgan tallest sunflower competition!
With just three days left, photo entries are coming in thick and fast from gardeners hoping to grab a grand simply for growing one of the easiest and most loved garden flowers.
Thompson & Morgan would love to see a record-breaking sunflower entered into the competition, but promises to pay out the massive sum, whether the winner sets a new standard or not!
To give gardeners the longest season to produce a winner, the competition is open until the end of Friday 23rd October. Any plant photographed and entered into the competition must be kept in situ where they are grown in order for winning entries to be verified – even if the plant has dried out and died. Finalists will be notified and a member of Thompson & Morgan staff will visit to measure and authenticate the entries.
The mail order horticultural specialist expects good uptake, having sold 15,899 packets of sunflower seed in 2015 across 30 varieties. Further widening scope, the winning entry doesn’t even have to be grown from a Thompson & Morgan seed. Any variety from any supplier can be entered, but the seed expert expects to see its latest introduction, ‘Tall Timbers’ F1, feature among the finalists. This hybrid form of ‘Russian Giant’ offers improved vigour and more chance of growing a record breaker than its parent line, reaching 4m (13ft) with no special care. ‘Russian Giant’ and the seed firm’s other towering specimen, ‘Mongolian Giant’ are also expected to make an appearance among the final shortlist.
Can anyone beat the 11ft 2in ‘Russian Giant’ sent in by Malcolm Bacon of Colchester, Essex?
To qualify, photo entries must include the whole plant from soil level to the top of the flower and you must pose alongside your plant to give an idea of scale – you’ll need to state your height and the height of your plant when submitting your entry. Visit www.thompson-morgan.com/competitions for full terms and conditions.
Depending on location of the finalists, Thompson & Morgan expects to have a winner announced by 15th November, with the cash prize awarded in time to make Christmas really special for one lucky winner and their family.
by Thompson & Morgan | May 6, 2015 | Competitions, Gardening News, Gardening Posts
We are offering a £1,000 cash prize to find the nation’s tallest sunflower.
With Sunflowers high on everyone’s sowing list thanks to an industry-wide Year of the Sunflower Campaign, we are hoping to see the World Record for the tallest sunflower brought to UK shores, and are encouraging the nation’s gardeners to take part with the launch of a £1,000 cash prize for the tallest UK specimen grown in 2015 whether it sets a new record or not! The current Guinness World Record, a whopping 8.75m (28ft 8in) giant grown in 2013, was raised by Hans-Peter Schiffer of Kaarst-Vorst,Germany.
Gardeners looking to get their hands on the UK prize can grow any variety from any seed firm. At the end of the season, when plants are at their peak and upward growth has stopped, all you need do is take a photo of your plant and upload it to the competition page here.
Photo entries must include the whole plant from soil level to the top of the flower and you must pose alongside your plant to give an idea of scale, you’ll need to state your height and the height of your plant when submitting your entry.
We now offer more than 30 sunflower seed varieties, including new ‘Tall Timbers’, a hybrid form of ‘Russian Giant’ offering improved vigour and more chance of growing a record breaker. Reaching 4m (13ft) with no special care, ‘Tall Timbers’ also produces impressive flowers and rivals other two towering specimens ‘Russian Giant’ and ‘Mongolian Giant’.
Mongolian Giant
Horticultural Director Paul Hansord said: Our Sunflower Competition is open to everyone. This is something the whole family can take part in, why not set up a little family rivalry and grow one plant per member of the household and see who fares best? Failing that, challenge your friends, neighbours or allotment buddies with a bit of friendly rivalry. If you are growing sunflowers this summer, this is the only competition you’ll want to take part in – £1,000 for raising a single plant from seed – that really is a cash crop worth tending to!
We will also reward the most creative use of sunflowers in a second photography competition. If towering giants aren’t your thing, why not work with smaller varieties this summer, such as ‘Helios Flame’ and the unusual basket variety ‘Inca Gold’, there will be a £50 Thompson & Morgan voucher available for the two most creative entries supplied by the end of Friday 30th October.
Helios Flame
Thinking about taking part? Why not blog about your record attempt? If you’d like to spread the word about your efforts and show off your progress through the season, please get in touch at web@thompson-morgan.com.
by Terri Overett | Apr 28, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Sunflowers are one of the most versatile plants you can grow. They can be grown as cut flowers or for wildlife and they are the perfect introduction to encourage children into gardening. That is why we are joining Fleuroselect in the celebration of this much loved garden favourite.
Growing sunflowers is so simple;
1.Sunflower seeds should be direct sown outdoors from April to May.
2.Position in full sun on well drained soil.
3.Sow seeds thinly, at a depth of 1cm in drills spaced 45cm (18″) apart and cover seed with its own depth of soil to exclude light.
4.Water the ground regularly, especially during dry periods. Germination usually takes up to 21 days. When sunflower seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to 30cm (12″) apart.
There are so many varieties but here are our top five for inspiration!
Great for garden bouquets the Sunflower ‘Helios Flame’ is a lovely tall stemmed variety that will make an eye catching addition to your vases.
‘Inca Gold’ is a trailing plant that will make an unusual yet exciting addition to your summer hanging baskets. This variety will also look incredible as ground cover in your borders.
Sunflower ‘Mongolian Giant’ is the perfect competition variety. They are fun to grow and will produce magnificent yellow blooms ready for the show bench.
Top tip – plant with chive to deter aphids!
Think outside the box with this unusual variety and grow deliciously creamy blooms! Sunflower ‘Italian White’ is a step away from the typical yellow and perfect for flower arranging.
Sunflower ‘Solar Flash’ is a dwarf variety for patio containers or grown as a cut flower.
Don’t forget, whether you are trying to grow the tallest sunflower or growing for fun, make sure you send your sunflower pictures in for your chance to win!
by Rebecca Tute | Mar 31, 2014 | Gardening News
Thompson & Morgan’s horticultural innovators who won the Plant of the Year at the Chelsea Flower Show 2012 and introduced the amazing TomTato® have done it again!
They have now developed a brand new strain of sunflower which generates its own electricity from the central stem.
The PowerFlower can charge mobile phones and tablets or can be used for lighting. Plants are supplied 12 inches high, and in bud. Customers can buy a “SunCharge” model, which features a unique waterproof USB port, pre-installed into the stem, for charging a range of devices with USB connections. Alternatively, the “SunLight” model is available, where the main flower head has a light bulb socket pre-installed, meaning the plant can be used for lighting in the home.
This dwarf, potted PowerFlower is the first step in a whole new world of electricity. A strong charge is created due to friction built up in the fibrous tissue of the plant stem. However, the exact technology of the patented “S-Stem” is being kept a closely guarded secret for the moment; however it’s guaranteed that the PowerFlower will change the face of gardening and energy sources across the globe.
With the release of the taller versions (estimated as 2016), gardens could be dedicated to just growing this variety and powering people’s homes, with an underground network of power leads filling borders. Gone are the days of mass fields of sunflowers growing across France for cut flowers, there will now be fields generating power for the world.
Masterminded by Thompson & Morgan’s development team with the help of leading scientist Professor Paolo Rilf, the PowerFlower is a long blooming variety, which lasts up to 4 weeks in flower. Even when the petals fall and the seed head begins to develop, the whole plant is still producing electricity within the S-Stem.
New Product Development Manager, Michael Perry said “The PowerFlower is capable of producing unlimited electricity over an 8 week period. With a dose of Thompson & Morgan’s exclusive new Incredibloom® fertiliser technology, you can increase the strength of that electricity by up to 4 times.”
Thompson & Morgan is planning to release this variety during late 2014. When buying a PowerFlower, customers can choose between the “SunCharge” USB pack, or the “SunLight” table lamp unit, and plants are ready for producing electricity immediately. Prices are yet to be confirmed.
Tweet using #PowerFlower.
by Sophie Essex | Apr 4, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts
Here’s a masterclass on growing dahlias courtesy of some of our favourite gardening bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers. When it comes to dahlias, not only do these growers know their stuff, but they’re also happy to share their knowledge and experience. Whether you want to plant dahlia tubers or raise them from seed, this is the place to start.
This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 4th April 2024.
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