Many people appreciate the sentimental value of a family heirloom, but the Hickson family have a very unusual keepsake - a dahlia.

The dahlia has held a special place in the hearts of the Hickson family for more than 50 years.

Peter Hickson, of Allithwaite Lodge in Grange, inherited the exotic flower, named The Monarch of the East, from his father who first cultivated it in 1954. 

Peter said: "That particular dahlia was bred in America in about 1938 and from what I understand it was a very popular flower.

"My father bought the original from Unwins Seeds in Cambridge for two shillings and sixpence and we have been planting the same tuber and its descendants ever since."

The dahlia is an exotic flower and Peter explained that it must be nurtured through the winter in special conditions in order for it to flower again from mid-summer until autumn. 

He said: "Each year I plant the Monarch of the East tubers around April-May and then I dig them back up just before the first frost, to keep them warm in my potting shed during the colder months."

Peter moved to Grange 30 years ago to work as a director at K Shoes. He took a Monarch tuber from his father's garden when he relocated and they have been blooming in Cumbria ever since.

He said: "In our garden we have around a dozen plants and by next spring that number should have doubled as new sprouts form on the tuber. We usually separate off these new shoots and give them away to raise money for charity."

Peter and his wife Sheila give the fledgling flowers to Boarbank Hall Nursing Home in Allithwaite, which is run by Catholic nuns from the order of St Augustine. They help to raise money for the training courses and residential retreats held by the nunnery.

Peter is also keen to introduce The Monarch of the East to other horticulturalists. 

He said: "I always give tubers to my friends who are interested in gardening. The most northerly Monarch now resides in Scotland, up past Glasgow. I met a gentleman at a wedding up there, he was the bride's father, and he said he was interested in flowers so he now plants them every year."

Meanwhile at the opposite end of the compass, Peter's Monarch of the East now grows in another of his friend's gardens in Olonzac in the South of France. 

"I took a tuber over to France courtesy of Ryanair and it thrives in that climate. My friend has to water it twice a day but he always posts a photo on Facebook every year to show me that his has flowered first." 

Peter's son Adrian is very enthusiastic about the dahlia and is keen to continue the tradition. However, while he currently plants the tubers each year, he prefers to leave them with his father over the winter. 

Peter said: "He just feels safer knowing I have them over winter so nothing can happen to them on his watch!"

You can observe The Monarch of The East when driving through Flookburgh, as they are planted each year to decorate the war memorial there and flower until the first frost.