A green-fingered gran has grown what could be Britain's tallest garden flower - a 16ft Echium taller than a GIRAFFE. Barbara Thatcher, 66, sowed the seed in a tray last spring and transferred the tiny plant into her garden when it started to sprout. The endangered Echium pininana, also known as the Tower of Jewels, survived the chilly winter and flowered this March. Now the bright blue plant towers over Barbara's home in Portishead, Bristol - and is taller than most giraffes at a staggering 16ft.