"With everything that's happening in the world, there's got to be a ray of sunshine, a plant or a tree or a person you meet," Ms Neale said.

And now she is waiting for another positive. Her agave plant is set to flower after more than a decade of growing and maturing.

"It starts off as a little stalk and then when the plant is 10 years or more, it produces yellowish flowers," she said.

"It has started to open and you can see the buds just ready to sprout and they'll be rich yellowy flowers.

"Only the mother plant flowers and underneath her are all these stalks ready to grow.

"We walk Brookie (the dog) every day and I can't see a plant like it in all the parks we go to - I can't see a big established one."

The agave has both male and female plants and Ms Neale's female plant has a tall, fast-growing stalk called a quiote that is preparing to flower. After flowering, the plant will die and the small stalks surrounding the larger, dying plant will take over.

Ms Neale and her husband Ian have been in their Eaglehawk house, based on the former grounds of the Cornish Hotel, for about 13 years and she planted this agave from a cutting brought from a previous house.

The retired diversional therapist previously worked in dementia care and described her career as being "a fun time girl".

"I always took something from the house every day to work and wore flowers in my hair and brought in entertainment and I loved it," Ms Neale said.

While Ms Neale then faced her own illness, she has since completed her treatment and is focused on remaining positive - and protecting her plant until it flowers.

"I've got two grandsons who love footy and I'm surprised they haven't kicked the football and broken the (agave)," she said.

"I am so surprised that they have not done something to it - like in the Dennis the Menace film.

"My daughter says, 'don't tell them about it, cover it up when they're in the backyard'.

"'Don't let them see it because they'll just break it'."

Ms Neale will update The Bendigo Advertiser when her plant finally flowers and she is keen to hear from other Bendigo gardeners who have an agave of their own.

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