They were once havens of colourful escape from the worries and pressures of the world.

However flower show gardens are now just as much about politics as horticulture, according to experts.

Visitors to this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower show expecting to be dazzled by magical arrays of tulips and petunias may be in for a sobering surprise.

Instead, they can expect to learn all about Britain's industrial decline, climate change and even the horrors of ivory poaching.