The flora seasons: Royal Philharmonic help put science to the test by playing to auditorium packed with PLANTS

As audience responses go, it was bound to be a recital with a more muted crowd.

But thankfully for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, this unique performance was all in the name of science.

The 33-member orchestra played a three-hour recital to an auditorium packed with greenery to help test the theory that plants grow better when played classical music.

Royal Flower-monic: The Orchestra completed a three-hour recital and noted the audience were 'more fragrant' than usual

The unorthodox audience was made up of over 100 different varieties of plants and bulbs including geraniums, fuchsias and perennials.

Scientists have claimed that classical music - and the reverberation of sound waves - is thought to stimulate protein production in plants.

Green-sleeves: Scientific opinion is divided as to whether playing music to plants helps them grow

In theory, this is thought to lead to increased plant growth, although experts have long been divided on the subject.

Researchers have previously exposed rice plants to classical music and noted that some samples responded to noise levels with increased gene activity.

A 2007 study by the South Korea National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology showed two samples reacted positively to 14 different pieces of classical music.

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However, their work was discredited by critics who said the test used outdated methods and had too few samples.

The recital at Cadogan Hall, London, was commissioned by shopping channel QVC and included Mozart's famed Symphony Number 40.

An album based on the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performance has also been released to inspire budding bulbs and pushy plants to grow more.

Blooming great: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Benjamin Pope leads the group in their one-off recital

The 45-minute recording titled The Flora Seasons: Music To Grow To is available to download for free from the QVC website.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conductor, Benjamin Pope, said: 'We've played some unusual recitals before but this has to be one of the strangest.

Flower power: The unusual audience was made up of over 100 different varieties of plants and bulbs

'The audience was the most fragrant we have ever played to although it was slightly unnerving to see row upon row of bowed heads instead of applauding human beings.'

QVC gardening presenter, Richard Jackson, added: 'There is a big debate on whether music can actually stimulate better plant growth but hopefully the release of our classical soundtrack will encourage gardeners to put the theory to the test.'