Some Cactus

A man had to cut a hole in the roof of his greenhouse after his spiky cactus outgrew its pot - and shot 32 feet skywards.

Stunned Geoffrey Bowman, 58, couldn't believe it when the plant, a succulent, suddenly sprouted a giant flower spike in May and rocketed upwards.

Geoffrey built a polythene shelter over it to protect the plant from the elements - but it soon outgrew that and he was forced to build another one.

But the monster 'agave americana' - which has 43 spikes - continued to grow, so in June this year, Geoffrey cut a hole in roof.

It now stands at a whopping 32ft - a whole 26 feet above Geoffrey, who is a mere 6ft tall.

Geoffrey, of Newent, Glos., said: "I planted it in 1988 and at first it grew very slowly. But, in May this year, all of a sudden, it began to flower - and produced this amazing spike that just grew and grew. The leaves on the plant just flopped down because all the energy was going into this spike. And the growth was so rapid when it first started - you could almost see it getting bigger before your eyes."

Geoffrey first planted the agave, which is native to Mexico and a close relation to the 'tequila' cactus, in 1988 - when its leaves were just 15 inches long. A few years later, he built a polythene tunnel to protect it from the rain and in 2000, he rebuilt this tunnel with a wooden frame as the plant had got too big.

But when the spike began to grow in May, it soon reached the top of its shelter. So Geoffrey just cut a hole in the roof - so the spike could shoot straight through.

Geoffrey, who is single, said: "I was worried it wouldn't survive outside in the rain so I built it a shelter - but it kept growing and growing.

"I then built it a new shelter that was even bigger but then it got too tall for that too. I couldn't be bothered making another one so I just chopped a hole in the roof - and let it grow upwards. It's spectacular to see it grow so big." Geoffrey, who is a semi-retired market gardener, first fell in love with plants as a child, when he was given a small cactus as a present.

He know has a whopping 158 agaves - what is known as the Agave National Collection - which people can visit.

Although Geoffrey admits to giving his plant - known as the Century Plant because it flowers so rarely - lots of love and attention - he insists there is no secret fertilizer recipe to make it grow.

He said: "I think the plant just likes the moisture in the ground - which they don't get in Mexico.

"I don't give it anything - just a bit of love and attention. It grew that big on it's own."

But he added he does not expect the enormous plant to last long - as the plants generally die after they have flowered.

He said: "It is starting to shrivel up now and will die once it has finished flowering. I feel a bit sad, really - but it's only natural. I find agaves fascinating. I like the symmetry of the plants. They can be quite dangerous and prickly and the liquid inside them can be poisonous so you have to be careful how you handle them. Luckily, my garden is six acres so there is lots of room for it."

Geoffrey is also the treasurer of the Gloucester and District branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society.

The agave americana is closely related to one used to make Tequila - agave tequilana.