GROWING up proved easy for two young girls when their prize sunflower scaled the heights of 12ft in just a few months.

Isobel, and Sophia Eastmond, aged seven and five, have been watering and tending to their flourishing flower every day and their nurturing has paid off big time.

Mother Natalie Eastmond, of Church Close, Loughton explained: “We got it in May. It was a really tiny little plant a friend gave to us. They've been watering it each day and watching it grow. They got quite excited as it grew bigger and bigger. My youngest daughter said it was like Jack and the Beanstalk!

“We didn't realise how tall it'd grow. It just kept growing and growing, and it now reaches the bedroom window. A couple of neighbours can see it from four doors away. They said 'I can't believe how tall your sunflower is!'

“It's got a nice position in the garden and we gave it a big pot which my daughters decorated.”