A GALASHIELS schoolboy is proving to be the new Monty Don, after sunflowers he planted grew to more than nine feet tall.

Hugo Stewart, aged four, of Knoll Park Drive in Galashiels, planted the sunflower seeds with help from his mum Phoebe at the beginning of lockdown.

The plants now stand at a whopping 9ft 4ins tall – and they have created a buzz in the neighbourhood.

“It’s become a bit of a talking point where we live – people are stopping to have a look at them, saying they’ve never seen such tall sunflowers before,” said Phoebe.

She and Hugo bought the seeds from Tesco at the start of lockdown. They planted a total of 16 in the front garden of their newly built house and Hugo watered them every day.

Phoebe, 35, said: “We decided that, for an afternoon activity, we would plant the sunflowers and then didn’t really think very much of it.”

However, Hugo’s dedication to his seeds has paid off – the family’s garden now boasts nine huge sunflowers.

Phoebe said: “It’s like Jack and the Beanstalk. We’ve been watching them grow as lockdown’s been going on and it’s been Hugo’s little hobby over the lockdown period.”

The sunflowers are so tall that Phoebe’s 6ft 2ins husband Colin has to stand on a ladder to measure them.

“Hugo’s been sitting on his dad’s shoulders to measure them as well,” said Phoebe.

The family are not usually keen gardeners, Phoebe claims – Hugo is the only one blessed with green fingers.

“Everything he’s planted has just sprouted, so he’s maybe got a bit of a talent there,” said Phoebe.

“He has his tea and then he wants to go out and get the hose and water his sunflowers every single day.

“At the start of it, when he saw the little sprouts, he was just using his little watering can and now he goes out and hoses them every day.

“Some neighbours have sunflowers but they’re nowhere near as tall as Hugo’s!”

Hugo started at St Peter’s Primary School last week.