A FLOWER show is toasting its successful return after a three year absence - with 45,000 visitors and a "riot of colour".
Designers from across the country created a flash of floral inspiration at the 2022 Harrogate Spring Flower Show.
Organisers said the show, staged at The Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, from April 21-24, celebrated the physical and psychological benefits of gardening which many people discovered - or rediscovered - during the pandemic.
A spokesperson said: "Whilst 2022 has begun for many events as a year of recovery, the hard work and dedication provided by thousands of exhibitors, competitors and volunteers meant that we were thrilled to be able to welcome more than 45,000 visitors to the first full-scale Harrogate Spring Flower Show in three years.
"During a vibrant and sunny four days, top awards were presented to a range of growers and societies - Best in Show was awarded to both Dibleys Nurseries for an outstanding display of streptocarpus and begonia and Yorkshire Pelargonium and Geranium Society for a riot of seasonal colour.
"Live demonstration stages, fun show garden features and fantastic floral art displays all added up to a fantastic ‘welcome back’ for Harrogate Flower Shows."
The show welcomed ‘Grow Your Home’, a spectacular floral installation created by floral stylists from Leeds based Leafy Couture.
The display, featuring hundreds of blooms around a central courtyard setting, offered visitors "a glimpse of the joys which flowers can bring".
Show Director Nick Smith said that after a difficult time for many people, this year’s Spring Show concentrated entirely on the "positives which plants and landscapes can bring to us all".
He said: "Gardening is the great leveller – from sweeping lawns to a simple window box, we can all benefit from the life-affirming pleasure which plants and flowers can make to our own personal space.”
The show boasted garden features, plant nursery displays and floral art.
Organisers said it had all the "colour, style and inspiration" needed to banish the winter - and lockdown - blues.
The programme of live entertainment included talks and demonstrations across four stages.
New for 2022, The Human Gardener was a series of fun and engaging sofa conversations with the people behind the plants, from bee inspectors to fungi fanatics.
On the Gardener’s Kitchen stage, TV cook and chef consultant Stephanie Moon created mouth-watering dishes from veg patch produce, with the help of grow-your-own guru Martin Walker.
Meanwhile, the Grow! Live team provided answers to gardening questions, whilst the Create! Floral stage hosted celebrity floral designer Jonathan Moseley, inspiring audiences with practical and fun ways to bring the garden into your home.
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