Huge sunflowers have been growing around Swindon this summer - with one totalling 12ft.

Maria Holohan from Parklands grows sunflowers each year from seeds provided by her father, who also grows the plants.

Her plants this year have grown to such great heights since June that she managed to recreate Jack and the Beanstalk by placing her nephew Jack next to it.

The 15-year-old boy is 6ft 3ins but was dwarfed in size compared to the 12ft tall sunflower much to his family’s amusement.

“The sunflower is double the size of Jack and he is a big lad for his age,” she said.

Swindon Advertiser: Maria's nephew Jack posed next to the giant sunflower.Maria's nephew Jack posed next to the giant sunflower. (Image: Maria Holohan)

“My dad has always grown sunflowers and takes good care of them meaning that they are usually tall.

“He takes the seeds for the biggest sunflower of the year and uses them the following year, giving them to me and my sisters and we each grow them in our own gardens.”

The 41-year-old mum of two revealed the secret behind the height is simply good maintenance.

“You have to take good care of them and protect them from snails to ensure that they grow,” said Maria.

“You also have to feed them every week with a growing fertiliser and you have to water them every day.”

“All of our neighbours keep talking about it I have offered each of them seeds to grow their own next year.”

“I want to grow them again next year and hope to get them even bigger.”

Swindon Advertiser: John Maskalaniec has also grown a huge sunflower this summer.John Maskalaniec has also grown a huge sunflower this summer. (Image: John Maskalaniec)

Elsewhere, John Maskalaniec in Wroughton has grown his sunflowers to around the 10ft mark.

“I am measuring it ever few days and it is over three metres but it is still growing but I haven’t done anything special to it,” he said.

“I hope to give people something to stop and look at which is nice and its wonderful that nature produced that.

“I have been doing it for six years but this is the tallest sunflower yet.”

Th 73-year-old is an artist and focuses his work on nature, being inspired by Vincent Van Gough.

“I do occasionally grow sunflowers because I am an artists and my art in the summer is of nature," he said.

“I paint and sculpt nature and it always makes me think of Vincent Van Gough whose work I love, of course the Sunflowers but also Starry Night.

“It was a therapy for him given the problems he had in his life and now his pictures are worth more than he could have ever imagined.”