The Ilford garden where a plant has taken 20 years to flower

An Americana Agave was planted by Shushila Patel, known as Shush by neighbours, at her Clarendon Gardens home back in 2004 and it had been growing inconspicuously ever since.

But Shush said she and the neighbourhood have been bowled over in recent weeks, as the agave took an unexpected turn and came into bloom.

In May, Shush was surprised to discover that the plant had begun sprouting.

She said: “Since it has starting sprouting and flowering, it has been a whirlwind of emotion.”

Shush sat in her garden in the early stages of landscaping and planting. (Image: Shushila Patel)

The plant stands at an approximate height of 25 feet but the phenomenon is set to be bitter-sweet as the agave is monocarpic, meaning it will flower just once and then begin to decompose.

But neighbours and friends have collected seeds from the agave to bless the garden with future generations of the Mexican plant in years to come.

Shush, a gardening fanatic, began transforming the front garden back in 2004 with the help of neighbours.

She said she has always displayed interest in “gardening and plants from childhood”.

Neighbours give Shush a helping-hand. (Image: Shushila Patel)

Intrigued neighbour Liz Payne suggested she enrol the help of her son Andrew Brewis, and together the pair set to work on the garden.

Shush said that the help of her neighbours “genuinely [feels] like a blessing”.

“They have been a part of this garden for a long time,” she added.

Shush’s garden, with her agave growing well to the bottom-left corner. (Image: Shushila Patel)

The pair worked for three months to get the garden under control, Shush said, attracting a great deal of attention from passers-by keen to know more of the project.

Shush grew fond of the way the neighbours on her street would arrive bringing small statues and plants for the garden, and what started as a DIY project from the passion of one individual turned into something much bigger.

Shushila stood next to the blossomed agave plant. (Image: Shushila Patel)

Shush said neighbours in her community are proud of her and the garden, which takes inspiration from the wonders of cultural integration and is teeming with plants indigenous to the UK as well as those from around the world.

Proud neighbours look on at the spectacle. (Image: Shushila Patel)

In 2005, the Recorder produced a double page spread about it. Now, nearly 20 years after, the garden has once again found itself in the spotlight.