A HUNDRED cacti left without a home are being offered a new resting place -- by a Sheikh!

Zahir Sheikh has been collecting unusual house plants for more than 20 years and his house boasts foliage that is older than his children and even taller than him.

But he wants to go back to his roots and house cacti which is the first plant that he ever had.

After reading an article in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph about the prickly problem faced by David and Susan Clark who discovered more than 100 cacti in their new home Zahir got in touch and offered to give them a good home.

He said: "Cacti need a good home and need looking after. I'm not interested in picking the biggest plant just because it looks good, I will pick the plants that I know I could look after. It would be a shame if someone gets these plants that doesn't really know what he is doing, they could be dead in six months."

Lorry-driver Zahir is something of an expert when it comes to the more unusual house plants. The 33-year-old shares his Wellington Road home, in Blackburn, with a plethora of plants -- including an 8ft yucca which towers above him.

And the father-of-one said they were like an extension of his family.

He said: "I have some that are 17-years-old and I have seen them grow up, if that was a child it would have left home by now. They are like children in a way and I am gutted when one of them dies."

Zahir, who has a six-year-old son, Ra'ees, knows the secret to keeping his plants happy and even admitted to speaking to them in order to encourage them to grow. But usually he sticks to tried and tested methods such as plant-food and plenty of water.

And he has to keep them away from house guests and especially his Neapolitan Mastiff dog Frazier.

He said: "He sometimes wants to cock his leg up on them because he thinks he is in the park. I have to put them behind the sofa to stop him. I also try and stop people brushing against them because it doesn't help them grow."

So many house plants can take up a lot of his valuable time and he spends four hours a week providing them with tender loving care.

He said: "I have to polish the leaves with milk because they collect dust. And the watering can take up a lot of time but they are worth it. I think they are great."

David Clark said Zahir was one of many who had inquired about the plants.

The St Peter's Close, Salisbury, resident said: "We have had more than 20 people ring up about the cacti, all with good credentials so we will invite them round and have chat about them. Obviously we want them to go to a good home and all the callers seem to be genuine enthusiasts."