The gardening team at Cotehele have already started picking and drying the flowers for their annual Christmas garland.

This year will be an extra special one: the team celebrates 60 years of the festive flower garland.

Every year the garden team plan, plant, dry and assemble all the flowers needed for the garland on site at the National Trust property. Visitors are able to see the flowers that will be used in the garland being planted, grown then picked.

Head gardener Dave Bouch said: ’We’re very proud of the garland and we appreciate everyone who’s been coming to see it over the years. This year is its 60th anniversary so we have a surprise planned and let’s just say we’re going to give it a new look.’

When the residents of Cotehele first hung a modest, floral Christmas display in the hall of the house six decades ago, little did they know their simple decoration would turn into the magnificent and famous tradition it is today.

Every November Cotehele gardeners build a 60 foot long swag, made up of tens of thousands of flowers, all grown and dried on the estate. It then hangs for six festive weeks in the hall of the house.

’Each year we get between 20,000 and 35,000 flowers, depending on the growing season,’ says Dave.

Flowers growing for the garland can be seen every day in the cut flower garden at Cotehele.