So all that rain was good for something! Bumper crop of sunflowers as 100,000 grow to 5ft tall in a single field

• The recent rain followed by dry weather has allowed a sunflower crop to grow 5ft tall
• The Bank Holiday weather forecast is rain across the country on Friday and Saturday
• The weather is predicted to improve on Sunday and sunny on Monday
• The changeable weather has also caused a surge in bacteria and disease among some fruit and vegetable crops
• There was flash flooding earlier this week after heavy rain in Lancashire

While many like to whinge about the recent rain, sunflower farmers were more than pleased with the changeable weather.
In a single field, a bumper crop of 100,000 sunflowers have grown to five foot tall as they saluted the sun when it appeared after weeks of rain.
The field of yellow at Cadwell Farm in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, has grown so tall this year that a person can literally disappear as they wade through them.

Bumper crop: Maria Hunter wades through this field of sunflowers which have grown five foot tall, higher than usual thanks to the weeks of rain followed by dry weather

Tim Hunter, who helps run the farm, said the blooms usually only grow four foot high but the heavy rain earlier this year has helped their huge growth spurt.
He said: ‘We’ve got a real bumper crop this year.
‘We planted them in May, then it rained continuously for three months so the flowers have really flourished.
‘The sun over the last few weeks has made them open up and the field is now looking amazing.’
Visitors who come to the farm to pick sunflowers have been stunned by the height of the beautiful blooms, Mr Hunter said.

Blooming weather: While the changeable weather has been great for sunflowers, rain is predicted across most of the country for the Bank Holiday weekend

Stunned visitors: At Cadwell Farm in Hitchin, Hertfordshire visitors can pick sunflowers from the field and have been stunned by the height of the beautiful blooms

The forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend is set to be changeable too with predictions for showers across much of the country on Friday and Saturday.
It is expected to improve on Sunday and by Monday the sun should be out.
Charlie Powell from the Met Office said: ‘It is looking like a real mixed bag.
He said South East of the country should get the best of the weather this weekend.
The rugby league Challenge Cup at Wembley, horse-racing at Cheltenham, the Reading and Leeds music festivals and the Notting Hill carnival are among the events set to be affected.
Some areas have already had a taste of what’s to come, with thunderstorms and rain causing flash-flooding on Tuesday.

Flash flooding: Earlier this week, motorists in Ramsbottom, Lancashire were left in deluge as heavy rains flooded roads within 20 minutes

Motorists in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, found themselves driving through several feet of water as clouds unleashed huge amounts of rain in just 20 minutes.
While the mix of dry and wet weather has spelled good news for sunflowers but bad news for motorists stuck in flash flooding, it has also been bad news for some fruit and vegetable crops with a surge in fungal and bacterial diseases.
Fungi such as black spot on roses and bacteria that causes disease on cherry and plum trees have spread because of the unpredictable weather according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Guy Barter, the chief horticultural advisor at RHS said: ‘It has been difficult getting out to the garden over the past few months because of the rain.
‘One of the important things to do is to remove as much dead and infected material as possible. 
‘Once you have reduced the amount of infected material any spraying with an appropriate fungicide will be especially effective.’

Unpredictable weather: The heavy rain that fell earlier this weekend could be repeated with more wet weather forecast for Friday and Saturday