Members of the conservation charity Plantlife met at the Coed Y Felin nature reserve near Hendre in Flintshire to safeguard the Deptford Pink.

The Deptford Pink needs open conditions and lots of sun with plenty of areas for it to feed into

Dr Trevor Dines Plantlife

Conservationists are working to clear scrubland in the area, creating conditions in which the plant can flourish.

Although European versions of the plant can be bought from garden centres, the Welsh variety of the Deptford Pink is close to being wiped out.

The shrub is one of the fastest-declining plants in Britain and Plantlife is keen to protect its existence.

The organisation's Wales officer Dr Trevor Dines led the project on Saturday, along with staff from the North Wales Wildlife Trust.

The botanist said he believed the site in north east Wales was one of the few left in the country.

"In 1994, a local recorder for Plantlife discovered thousands of this plant growing on this steep slope," he said.

The plant has a delicate pink flower

"Their numbers have declined in recent years and a survey earlier this year found only three flowering plants remained at the site.

"The conditions have become worse now, and we have pulled up brambles and gorse so it can thrive.

"The Deptford Pink needs open conditions and lots of sun."

The plants - which have delicate pink flowers - are protected by law, so members of the public are not allowed to remove them.

Experts hope that, by disturbing the habitat and soil, the seed from the Deptford Pink will be brought to the surface.

This will encourage the seeds to grow in the cleared area.