AN ICONIC tree was planted at Blenheim Palace to mark the 300th birthday of the man behind the World Heritage Site's famous grounds.

The 12th Duke of Marlborough, Jamie Spencer-Churchill, planted a Cedar of Lebanon tree beside the lake in celebration of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown - known as 'England's greatest gardener'.

The Oxfordshire stately home was one of Brown’s most significant landscape projects and contributed to the 2,000 acre parkland and baroque palace being awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1987.

Commissioned by the 4th Duke of Marlborough in 1763, Brown spent a total of 11 years transforming the palace’s landscaped parkland.

In addition to planting thousands of trees, Brown also created the two lakes either side of the famous Vanbrugh Bridge.

The new sapling will eventually grow up to the impressive size of the original Cedar of Lebanon planted by Brown, which was featured in the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007.

The 12th Duke of Marlborough said: “Capability Brown had a profound and lasting impact on the estate and virtually all of his visionary designs for Blenheim Palace can still be appreciated here today.

“I am delighted to be marking his 300th anniversary by planting this cedar which will hopefully help to ensure his design genius continues to be enjoyed and appreciated by generations to come."

Believed to have been born in 1716, Brown was the most sought after landscape designer of the 18th century.

He was at the forefront of a new style of natural landscape gardening which replaced formalised, geometric garden layouts with more flowing and open parkland.

Brown reputedly earned his nickname by reassuring his aristocratic clients their estates had the ‘capability’ for improvement.