WORCESTERSHIRE'S garden centres are seeing a huge increase in the demand for exotic plants rarely seen in Britain only a few years ago.

Milder temperatures and more informative gardening programmes are also seen as the main reasons for olive trees and palm trees adorning Worcestershire's gardens where once hollyhocks and lupins flourished.

With far less frost than a generation ago and warmer summers, plants that once would only have been found in consevatories or greenhouses are now surviving outdoors with many people citing global warming for the change in the seasons.

Chris Mansell, from the plants department in St Peter's Garden Centre, said: "We are definitely selling many more exotic plants than ever before.

"This is generally sold to the younger generation, and I put this down to the gardening programmes on television as well as gardening magazines."

She said cardolyne, palms and tree ferns were proving a big hit with customers.

Martin Warr, owner of Laylocks, on Bromyard Road, said: "We are selling more tropical plants.

"Palms are selling as well as New Zealand phormiums and more olive trees are selling all year around.

"Mimosa, which has a yellow flower is also selling," he said.

These exotic plants grow better in a sheltered place with a nice south or west-facing wall."

At Blooms of Bressingham, on Droitwich Road, Ruth Curran, plant sales manager, said date palms, olives and cardyline - a New Zealand cabbage plant - were all popular now compared with a few years ago.

She said: "It's partly the milder winters that have changed gardening but I think people are travelling abroad more and seeing more plants and flowers which they want for their garden."