TV gardener Prince Charles

May 5, 2010, 12:03 GMT

Britain's Prince Charles has invited celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh to view the grounds of his Highgrove Estate.

The royal and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are celebrating three decades since Highgrove became a royal residence by opening the gardens to Alan and a BBC television crew, who will produce a programme about them.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "The Prince's love of Highgrove's gardens is well documented.

"He really wanted to show them off. He and Camilla are big fans of Alan, so they've invited him in June, when the gardens will be in full bloom."

The prince has also commissioned Patrick Hawes to produce a special piece of music, called 'The Highgrove Suite' to accompany the show, which will air in the spring.

The 61-year-old royal has reportedly spent £500,000 on improvements to the gardens at the 37-acre Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire, which he has owned since 1980.

The gardens are occasionally opened to the public, but waiting times for a slot can be as long as five years.

Alan - who has been a TV gardening expert for years and recently moved into hosting a chat show - follows in the footsteps of another gardener, Sir David Attenborough, who narrated a BBC natural world documentary about the gardens in 2003.