It doesn't matter how long you have been growing plants, whether it's one year or 20, there are new surprises to be found in the garden every year.

Way back in 1990, I acquired a small plant labelled Telopea Hybrid. It came to Brockhole from Wakehurst Place (Kew Gardens' satellite garden in Sussex) where my husband was working at the time. Plants grown in botanic gardens are generally supposed to be species rather than hybrids, and they must have accurate records that include their source and arrival date. My plant had failed on both counts and hence was consigned to the transfer list.

Telopea Hybrid was gratefully accepted at Brockhole where, since we were busy changing our style from labour intensive bedding-out to more informal, permanent plantings, we had a great deal of space to fill.

I was less pleased, however, when I looked up Telopea in a plant dictionary to find out more about it. The genus Telopea consists of four species of evergreen shrubs or small trees occurring in drought-prone woodland in Australia'. To add insult to injury they are all classified as half-hardy to frost tender.

A second book was more positive, listing the species Telopea truncata or Tasmanian Waratah as hardy when planted among other evergreens and thriving in conditions suitable for rhododendrons.

Expecting it to die during its first winter, I tucked the small Telopea between a dry stone wall and a large evergreen Thuja, in an out-of-the-way corner of the garden. It survived the winter, and the next, and the next. It grew into a tall, rather leggy shrub with not much to recommend it apart from unusually long, leathery leaves. We gave the plant very little attention other than occasionally trimming the evergreen behind it - our Telopea simply became part of the plant furniture.

Now here comes the surprising bit this week, 13 years after planting, our non-hardy, botanically deficient Telopea has produced a flower! Not just any old flower either, but a generous head of tubular, rusty-red blooms clustered together at the tip of one of the side branches. Sadly it's the only one, all the other branches are producing leaves as per usual, but it is quite exciting nevertheless and well worth the wait!

Other surprising plants flowering at Brockhole this week include Lamium orvala, a plant we are growing for the first time this year. It looked for all the world like a very healthy clump of stinging nettles until it produced a fine display of large, pink flowers. My dictionary says it should be non-invasive - let's hope it is right this time!

May 15, 2003 10:00