A plant casually sown in gravel beside a wall is heading towards a world record.

The giant hollyhock planted by Carol Samuel at her home in Doncaster Close, Stevenage has grown to over 13 feet and shows no sign of slowing down.

Over double the average hollyhock height, it could soon top the world record of 19 feet 7 inches, set in 1978 in Surrey.

Carol, 48, said: “I have grown others in the past but they have never grown as tall.

“I planted the seed last spring and this is the first time it’s flowered. I’ve looked at all the ones in Herts and they are not as big. It’s about a foot away from the roof.

“It was planted in a bit of soil and sandy gravel. I didn’t feed it. I do like growing things from seed. I’m quite good at it. I might do it some more.”