Rare plant woman bought 50 years ago grows up to 20

By Ed Chatterton and Dominic Robertson

A gardener was left stunned after a rare plant she bought 50 YEARS ago finally bloomed - and now towers over her house at 20ft (6m) tall.

Green-fingered Hilary Chappin, 82, planted the agave in a tiny pot after buying it in London half a century ago when her daughter, now 52, was a toddler.

She kept it in a conservatory area and has even moved house with it three times - before planting it outdoors when it got too big.

Hilary has now been rewarded with the stunning rare flower - which has grown upwards 20ft in the air and dominates her garden in the Midlands.

She said she was "thrilled" when she realized the plant , which is a member of the asparagus family, was set to bloom.

Hilary, of Telford, Shrops., added: "I cannot tell you how excited