Bulbs planted for Queen Elizabeth II's tribute garden

Members of the public were also given a guided tour of the new garden

Members of the public have taken part in a spring bulb planting day at a new garden to honour Queen Elizabeth II in Regent's Park.

The two-acre garden, created by The Royal Parks Charity to commemorate the life of the late Queen, is set to open in central London in spring next year.

People were invited to sign up to one-hour slots on Saturday to plant bulbs including daffodils and snowdrops, and be given a guided tour of the garden.

The garden is in addition to the UK National Memorial to Queen Elizabeth II, which will be in St James's Park, close to Buckingham Palace.

The late queen became patron of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1952, the year she acceded to the throne, and attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show regularly during her 70-year reign.

The charity said the garden has been designed by London-based landscape architects HTA Design, to be "a tranquil space for reflection in the centre of London".

It will feature a pond, a viewing platform and a flower garden, "with plants significant to the late Queen", it added.

Bulbs selected for Saturday's event were chosen to add a pop of colour and "to provide nectar and pollen for vital pollinating insects", it added.

The hour-long slots for members of the public started at 10:00 GMT

The site, which is on the Broad Walk and close to the Avenue Gardens, was once used to grow shrubs and plants for London's Royal Parks.

It was decommissioned in 2018 after the opening of the Hyde Park Nursery.

The provisional construction budget for the UK National Memorial for Queen Elizabeth II in St James's Park was set at between £23m and £46m, excluding VAT by the government, with money coming from public funds.

The garden will feature a circular pond, seen here in an artist's impression