This Saturday (June 16 ) will see B&Q stores across Ireland take part in a great sunflower grow as they give away free sunflower plants to children and parents in a bid to get kids in the garden and growing.
The campaign, which is supported by celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh, will see all nine Irish stores giving away the free sunflower plants to children between 10am and midday. Community groups, including scouts and children from local schools, are also invited to pick up a free plant.
Every store will have its growing experts on hand to ensure that children and parents know exactly how to plant and take care of their sunflower. Store employees will also be encouraging children to take a picture of their sunflower and send it to them in a bid to break a Guinness World Record later this summer.
B&Q will be attempting to break the record for the amount of sunflower pictures showcased in one space in August once the sunflowers have had time to grow. The child who grows the tallest sunflower will also win a fantastic prize, courtesy of B&Q.
B&Q celebrity ambassador Alan Titchmarsh shared his top tips for growing a sunflower.
“This is a fun way to get children inspired to garden and what better way than to start with everyone’s favourite flower, the sunflower,” he said.
Top growing tips from Alan Titchmarsh
1. Make sure you plant the sunflower in a spot where it is sunny all day long; these plants love the sun.
2. Ensure that the plant has enough space, roughly 30 inches apart from other plants.
3. Water the plant as soon as you have planted it and remember to water infrequently to encourage the roots to grow deep.
4. When it gets to roughly 30cm high, support the plant with a bamboo stick. Doing this will encourage the plant to grow as tall as it can with the support of the stick.
5. To protect the plant from animals, buy some netting to drape over the plant. That way the plant will produce lots of seeds which are a tasty snack for birds.
Those picking up a sunflower should email B&Q pictures of how their sunflower grows to [email protected]. To see how to grow your own sunflower visit www.youtube com/bandq
