A GARDENING enthusiast who built a 26ft tall flower tower in front of his house has now decorated his masterpiece in time for Christmas.

Edward Hayes, aged 71, of Gibbs Road in Beechwood, Newport, showed off his 5ft square and 26ft tall tower to the Argus earlier this year.

The structure took three months to complete and is made of six steel sections, welded together and all made from recycled old office desks.

And now, it has been donned with 110 metres of festive rope lights. Mr Hayes spent two whole days and “a couple of hundred pounds” decorating his prized possession.

He said: “In the night, it’s just glowing.

“It will be a big Christmas tower during this time of year, and then a flower tower in the summer.

“My wife loved the idea, but hated me going up and down that tower decorating it and tying the ropes down properly - she closed the curtains every time!”

The tower is at the end of Mr Hayes’ drive and in front of his dining room window.

About 16ft of it can be seen from the road, which will be turning a few heads of the Christmas period.

Mr Hayes, whose main job is buying and selling office furniture, is now determined to drum up interest in the impressive structure ahead of a potential auction in the summer of 2015.

The gardener wants to sell the tower in order to donate the proceeds towards a charity close to his heart.

“All the money would go towards the British Heart Foundation,” he said.

“I had a triple bypass nearly eight years ago and I feel fantastic.

“I really believe in what the BHF are doing and I hope, with the help of the Argus, that we can get people from all over to take a look at the tower.”

And there seems to be no end to Mr Hayes’ quirkiness. He is due to appear on a BBC programme in February to showcase his vast collection of miniature bottles.

“It’s just another thing I’ve got a big interest in,” he added.

If you happen to have an interest in buying the flower tower, contact Argus reporter Caio Iwan on 01633 777252 for more details.