IT'S A gardening practice which has received the royal seal of approval.

It was almost 30 years ago when Prince Charles revealed he regularly spoke to his plants in a bid to encourage them to grow.

Now a major plant supplier in Hampshire is introducing the world's first full time plant-whisperers.

Phrases like "I'm hedging my bets on you," "alright petal," "you're blooming marvellous" and "show me your flower power" will now be heard from the B&Q Hedge End gardens.

Bosses have taken on three new employees to learn and spread the language of flowers and according to The Royal Horticultural Society it's not as mad as it sounds.

On top of showering plants with water and feed, half of the UK's gardeners are now sweet-talking their flora in a bid to have the best garden.

A study by B&Q revealed that talking to plants is becoming a common practice with half to the UK's gardeners having a conversation with their flowers.

Daily Echo:

Fans include Prince Charles - who said during an interview in 1986 that he "instructs them" and believes plants respond when they're spoken to.

Jaime Ormrod, Charlotte Payne and Sally Wallace will be the talkative trio testing this regal practice, with the guidance of botanist Tim Clapp.

As part of the plant whisperer experiment Jaime, Charlotte and Sally will be on hand in store and on Twitter, to share their expertise with customers.

For those uncomfortable talking to their plants, there will also be musical therapy and the plant whisperers have created the ultimate ‘Plant Playlist’ for their customers.

The playlist features top songs for best plant growth, like The Foundation’s Build me up Buttercup, Bon Jovi’s Bed of Roses and Nirvana’s Marigold.

Tim Clapp said: “Plants are much like humans if you leave them alone and don’t give them proper care, they suffer. We want to provide our customers with the most cared for and nurtured plants possible.”

Jaime added: “When I first heard that talking to plants helps them grow, I was sceptical. However, when my mum’s tomato plant started to wilt I thought I’d give it a go and couldn’t believe the positive results.

"Each species has its own personality so different phrases and songs work better for different plants.”

Daily Echo:

But head gardener at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Fran Clifton wasn't sure a plant whisperer was necessary.

She said: "Talking to plants is just something that I think lots of horticulturists do but it's a normal day for us, you spend a lot of time around them so you do form a connection and it's quite a personal thing seeing something grow from a seed but I think employing people to do this is a step too far."

The B&Q Hedge End plant whisperers will now be on hand in store or on Twitter by tagging @BandQ with the hashtag #PlantWhisperers.

PLANT PLAYLIST 1. Kiss from a Rose, Seal

2. Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations

3. Every Rose has its Thorn, Poison

4. Marigold, Nirvana

5. Bed of Roses, Bon Jovi

6. Acoustic Alchemy, Gardener’s World

7. Sunflower, Lenny Kravitz

8. Daisy Lane, Stereophonics

9. Strawberry Fields Forever, Beatles

10. Paradise City, Guns and Rose