A PERTHSHIRE artist has a remarkable phenomenon in his garden.

Ian Imrie from Bridge of Earn thinks his 21-foot palm tree could be the finest, and possibly only, example of its kind in the east of Scotland.

Bought 20 years ago from an English plant dealer, the palm has grown to enormous heights, flowering at the start of every summer.

He said, “I just bought it because I like unusual plants—I’ve got a garden full of them—but it’s done really well and it flowers every year.

“You’re not really supposed to be able to grow them on the east coast because of the climate, although I’m told they do better on the west because of the Gulf Stream.

“We think the exhaust from the house’s heating system, which comes out nearby, has raised the temperature and helped it grow because we’ve actually got one round the other side of the house but it’s a lot smaller.

“As far as I know it’s the only palm like this in the area and is quite a sight to see.”