housewife Marion Nolan hopes to grow a new business after bringing back a banana seed from her summer holidays in the Canary Islands.

The seed grew into one of many tropical plants, which she plans to sell or hire out as she cultivates her own horticultural business, Banana Tropical.

She hopes customers will go bananas for her exotic plants, which grow in the back garden of her house in Simonside, South Shields.

With over 13 different varieties, ranging from a 7ft palm tree to an outdoor bonsai tree, she plans to launch a business supplying garden centres and retail outlets.

Marion said: "It all stemmed from a banana seed I brought back from a holiday in Tenerife. I decided to see if I could grow it, although everyone said I was wasting my time.

"I would watch it every day, giving it my full attention and was amazed when it grew into a healthy, thriving banana plant. I knew then I had been bitten by the horticultural bug and it all just grew from there."

Tropical plants rarely survive in cold weather conditions, so Marion decided to look for hardier varieties that can thrive in the UK climate.

After exhaustive research she found a suitable seed supplier in Germany.

As her experience grew she realised she had an ideal business opportunity flourishing in her garden.

She contacted business support agency Tedco (the Tyneside Economic Development Company) where suitably-named business advisor Neil Plant gave her business start-up advice.

Marion said: "The help and advice that I received has been invaluable and I now feel confident to push the business as far as I can.

"The next step is to expand, as I am rapidly outgrowing my garden, and if I am going to be successful in supplying the retail industry I will need a decent plot of land with a larger greenhouse."

Marion also managed to secure funding from the South Tyneside Development Fund and the Action Team for Jobs.