This garden would not look out of place at Hampton Court Flower Show.

It is in fact the front of Canterbury Prison, lovingly created by inmates from the open jail Standford Hill on Sheppey.

The city’s prison, home to some 280 foreigners awaiting deportation, will be visited on Tuesday by Princess Anne as part of its 200th anniversary celebrations.

Governor Chris Bartlett said the work on the front garden was “completely coincidental” to her visit.

“We’ve had quite a lot of work done inside and outside the prison and there had been quite a lot of damage done so we thought this was decent opportunity to have it done up,” Mr Bartlett said.

“This area has been looking rather tatty. And by involving serving prisoners to do the work, we can make use of the resources we have and help rehabilitate prisoners.”

Mr Bartlett refused to say how much the prison had spent on the materials for the garden.

He added that part of it would be used as a garden of remembrance for people to reflect on the lives of officers who had died while working for the Prison Service.

Princess Anne visits the prison as patron of the Butler Trust, a charity which supports rehabilitation projects for criminals.