HORTICULTURISTS are mystified by a flower which has grown with one side perfectly white and the other pink.

Gardener Derek Lofthouse, pictured, said he has no idea why the dahlia grew with a line down the middle where the two colours meet.

"I'm no expert gardener to put it mildly," said Mr Lofthouse, from Thornaby, near Stockton. "I just more or less throw seeds in the earth or by my pond and say, 'grow if you want' and this one did.

"I've spoken to one or two people who actually do know a bit about gardening properly and they're as mystified by it as I am. We reckon it could be a unique flower."