Thriving Since 1960, My Garden In A Bottle

Seedling sealed in its own ecosystem and watered just once in 53 years

• David Latimer first planted his bottle garden in 1960 and last watered it in 1972 before tightly sealing it shut ‘as an experiment’
• The hardy spiderworts plant inside has grown to fill the 10-gallon container by surviving entirely on recycled air, nutrients and water
• Gardeners’ Question Time expert says it is ‘a great example just how pioneering plants can be’