A green-thumbed gardener was left gobsmacked when a rare plant she purchased 50 years ago finally bloomed, now towering over her house at an impressive 20ft (6m) tall.
Hilary Chappin, 82, originally planted the agave in a small pot after buying it in London half a century ago when her daughter, now 52, was just a toddler.
She housed it in a conservatory and has even relocated with it three times, eventually planting it outdoors when it outgrew its indoor space.
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Now, Hilary has been rewarded with the stunning rare flower, which has shot up 20ft into the air and dominates her Midlands garden.
She expressed her delight when she realised the plant, a member of the asparagus family, was about to bloom.
Telford-based Hilary said: “I cannot tell you how excited I was when I realised it was going to happen; I was jumping up and down.
“The first time I noticed any change to it was in April and since the middle of April it has grown 20ft tall.”
Hilary Chappin, 82, snapped up the agave plant when her daughter was a toddler and has since moved house three times with it – and has even had to wrap it in fleece when it got too big
Over the years, she has taken great care of it, moving it indoors during the winter to shield it from the harsh British weather.
When it eventually became too large to move inside, she resorted to covering it with a fleece to protect it from the cold.
Hilary added: “I bought it when I lived in London 50 years ago and it was a little plant in a pot and it grew and it grew, and I re-potted it into a couple of pots. First we moved to Ironbridge and I had it there in a pot.
“I used to bring it inside in winter because they are frost-tender. “So I looked after it, then when I came here it was so big I planted it in the garden.
“Every winter for the last 23 years I have wrapped it in fleece to protect it from the frost, and suddenly this year it has sent up this flower spike.”
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