Garden's sapphire tower flower begins to bloom

The plant is about three times taller than it was when it bloomed last year

A rare plant which is native to South America has started to bloom in the south of Scotland.

Visitors will have to hurry if they want to see the Puya alpestris - known as the sapphire tower flower - at Logan Botanic Garden as the blooms usually fade within a week.

The plant bloomed for the first time at the site near Port Logan in 2024, making it the first outdoor flowering of the species in Scotland.

Last year it reached about 4ft (1.2m) high but this year it has grown to about 12ft (3.6m).

The blooms only last about a week

The plant - native to Chile - is already partially in flower, with more buds forming on the "alien-like" spikes.

Curator Richard Baines said: "I've been a horticulturist for over 40 years and the Puya alpestris is truly among the top three most spectacular plants I've ever seen in my career.

"Seeing the sapphire tower flower outside its native habitat is a real privilege for us here at Logan and we encourage visitors to come and witness its beauty for themselves over this coming week.

"However, while it's wonderful to behold, the incredible growth we're witnessing is likely down to the very warm temperatures we experienced this spring.

"Unfortunately, this is one of the anticipated consequences of climate change and a warming planet, with higher temperatures allowing plants like these to flourish in Scotland – outdoors – in ways that were never possible before."

Experts believe the plant's rapid growth could be down to the mild weather this spring