Worthing teacher stunned as 'monster' plant shoots up to 25ft tall for rare flowering

The stunning agave americana is in its full glory, turning heads on the seafront with multiple flowers bursting from its branches.

Nigel said the growth came out of the blue, starting in May and shooting up in no time, like in Jack and the Beanstalk.

"I just love the idea," he said. "I think it is like something out of science fiction. The growth has been exceptionally rapid and it is reaching out in every direction.

"It is lovely seeing the amount of attention it is getting. People love it and it is a beautiful thing to look at but it is quite a monster to have in one's front patch."

It is a spectacular sight but, sadly, it means the plant is near the end of its life. Nigel is likely to lose the parent plant but it should produce baby plants and the long wait for flowers will begin again.

He said the leaves had to be cut back a lot last year due to scaffolding and he wondered whether that had brought the flowering period forward.

He pointed out: "The leaves have these sharp spines and they really can shred your skin. It is quite a beast, it absolutely attacks you."

Nigel said the family came back from three weeks in France to find the plant had gone wild. It continues to grow new flowers every day.

Agave americana, also called a century plant, is an evergreen perennial that can take up to 80 years to bloom. The greenish-yellow flowers tend to last about a month, although the whole blooming period should go on for three to four months.

It starts with a large, spike-like stem appearing from the centre of the plant. This quickly grows and can reach as high as 35ft tall. This growth period and flowering takes up all the plant's energy, so it cannot continue to live once the blooming period comes to an end.

Nigel and his wife bought the property in 2019 and had no idea the plant in the front garden could grow like this.

"It is surprising that it is flourishing here," he said.

Because the agave plant is thought to have health benefits and its nectar is collected for medicinal purposes, Nigel is considering offering the leaves in return for a charity donation, once flowering is over.

This flowering is the sign the old plant is reaching the end and trying to stop it would be a mistake, as that will prevent the new generation from forming and the plant will not survive anyway.