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Rodley's giant sized sunflowers
They are the monster sized blooms which are spreading the sunshine in Rodley.
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Lifelong gardener Bill Ramsay has reared sunflowers so tall they have reached the upstairs windows of his Rodley home.
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He says word has spread about his 24 prize plants, and people have visited specially to see the 15-foot whoppers.
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Bill said: "They look like something from outer space. The heads are massive and the stalks are so thick they are like sugar cane.
"There is a rugby club nearby and the spectactors have been making a beeline to see the flowers.
"If I was charging I'd have made a few quid by now, but I'm just happy that people are interested.
"Passers-by say 'well done' and the children love them."
Bill, a great-grandfather of three, said he planted the seeds at the beginning of June.
Since then, he has fed them once a week and watered nearly every day.
He said: "I never thought they'd end up this big. I grew some last year, they were only half the size, so I'm not sure what has made the difference."
Bill, a retired foundry worker, said gardening has helped to keep him in shape.
He said: "I am 77 and as fit as a butcher's dog. When I was at school gardening started at school, I've done it all my life. As a foundry worker it was the only way to get some fresh air."
Anyone who wants to see Bill's big blooms has a few weeks left to do so. "They should be good for about a month yet," he added.
But if you really want inspiration when it comes to growing brilliant blooms, a farmer's field in Pudsey shows how it's done....
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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