AWARD-winning show gardens, spectacular floral displays, gardening workshops, even an eye-catching hat made from foliage that would grace ladies day at York races – the Harrogate Spring Flower Show has the lot. No wonder it was voted the UK's best gardening event by readers of Which? Gardening.
The show gardens along The Avenue provide some of the highlights each year, and this year is no exception.
On yesterday's opening day, judges awarded the Premier Gold award to charity Perennial's 'Essence of York Gate' garden, which features curved beech hedging, yew topiary, oak seating, spherical stone ornaments and a steel water feature.
Four other gardens picked up gold awards – including Harrogate Borough Council's 'Grand Départ legacy garden' celebrating the impending arrival of the Tour de France, and Selby-based Hibiscus Gardens' Serendipity garden, featuring sandstone paths, a seating area, timber sleepers, trees, evergreen shrubs and herbaceous borders.
There is much more to the spring flower show than show gardens, however. Visitors can learn how to take a cutting or re-pot a favourite houseplant; marvel at more than 150 painstakingly-assembled floral works of art (including that stunning hat, which was featured in yesterday's newspaper); learn how to grow vegetables for their own table; and visit the popular food and craft marquees.
There are activities for children, courtesy of the education team from RHS Harlow Carr. And the green-fingered among you will not want to miss the Kitchen Garden Live event on Sunday morning, when BBC Radio York's Julia Lewis Show will be broadcast live from the showground between 11am and noon.
The flower show runs until Sunday. This being April, you can expect some showers but there should be some sunny spells, too. The Met Office forecast for the weekend reads: "Remaining unsettled and often cloudy, with occasional rain or locally heavy showers and limited sunny spells." So choose your time - and take a mac just in case...
The Harrogate Spring Flower Show, Great Yorkshire Showground until Sunday. Tickets £17 (£15 Sunday, £8 students) on the gate.
More information from flowershow.org.uk/
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