Wealthy city brokers were the first to reach for their cheque books to buy underwear made using real flowers for wives and girlfriends.

The eye-catching creations made by gardening guru Lucy Summers of Woodchurch, Tenterden, came at the pretty price of £675 per set.

They had to be delivered in cool boxes and despatched by special courier because the blooms would only last for 48 hours.

Rose buds, orchids and waxflower, were among the blooms that were hand stitched to the exclusive French lingerie sets using thread and twine.

Lucy, already an award-winning Chelsea Flower Show landscape gardener, and TV gardening commentator, wanted to experiment with flowers to celebrate the 20th anniversary this year of her firm Lucy Summers Living.

She said: “The lingerie sets were created overnight and we started work about 6pm and finished around 3am in the morning.

“They were highly priced because of the intricate work involved and I only made six of them. The lingerie had to be really good quality to hold the weight of the flowers.

“People told me it couldn’t be done but I wanted to prove them wrong. Flowers are such fun and they spread happiness and it was a wonderfully creative project to work on.”

She added: “Wealthy brokers were among the buyers who wanted to give their wives and girlfriends a one-off present. The phrase ‘say it with flowers’ is apt but giving the lingerie was much better than handing over a bunch of roses.”

More information on the business can be found at www.lucysummersliving.com