Rare, historic and specialist varieties of tulips are now on display at Hampton Court Palace as part of its first ever Tulip Festival.

Gardeners at the palace planted 100,000 bulbs of the flower last autumn and have carefully curated colourful displays of the tulips as they come into bloom in the palace's courtyards and formal gardens.

This includes a unique display of rare bulbs from the Hortus Bulborum in the Netherlands along with handmade replicas of Mary II's tulip vases, which can be seen at the Lower Orangery.

The festival runs from Monday 12 April to May 3 and opening hours are 10am-5pm.

This does not include Saturday 17 April when the palace and its gardens will be closed as a mark of respect for HRH Prince Philip.

Tickets are included in palace admission (members go free) and a guide to the festival will be available for visitors at the palace.

The official event listing can be found HERE