Four million pansies that are set to be distributed across the UK have been grown in a massive group of glasshouses in West Sussex, the Daily Mail reports.

Roundstone Nurseries in Pagham has played host to the flowers - which are worth approximately £200,000 - in conservatories covering 120,000 sq m of land.

Although the recent cold snap has delayed orders from retailers by two weeks, the site is now beginning to release the pansies, along with hundreds of thousands of primroses and violas.

"The plants can cope with freezing conditions, but we've kept the temperature at 2C, as it isn't good for the glass to freeze," nursery manager John Polman told the newspaper.

"People love pansies because they are a reminder that spring is coming. They give some colour to our gardens at this time of year before the bulbs - such as daffodils - have really come into bloom."

Mr Polman added that the pansies are likely to remain a feature in Britons' gardens until well into the summer.

Earlier this month, the Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew Gardens noted that households can grow some exotic plants if they invest in bespoke conservatories.

Posted by Cheryl Stevenson