A floral tribute to King Charles has been created in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council‘s parks team created the eye-catching display on Stray land on Montpellier Hill. It is currently behind railings, which will be removed on Saturday’s coronation day.

The parks team made the royal cypher using a technique called carpet bedding, which involves using plants so compact and tightly knitted that the result looks like a woven carpet. The display will stay in place for 12 months.

Some of the parks team that worked on the display.

A council spokesperson said:

“The display is made up of more than 15,600 plants, including sedum, sempervivum and ajuga, which are all compact plants ideal for this type of display.

“The temporary fencing will be removed first thing on Saturday morning to enable people to enjoy the display fully.”

Read more:

• Coronation events: where to celebrate across the Harrogate district
• Fireworks finale will end Ripon’s coronation day celebrations

A stunning golden cloak, crown, orb and sceptre fashioned out of flowers is one of the star attractions at this year’s Harrogate Flower Show.

Today’s first day of the show saw around 15,000 enthusiastic visitors. This year’s theme was the coronation of King Charles III.

The show, which is organised by the North of England Horticultural Society, is the first big gardening event on this year’s UK calendar. More than 50,000 people are expected over the four days.

Nick Smith , show director, told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re so pleased to see the amount of quality horticultural we’re seeing here today. After such a miserable winter, it’s just fantastic to see everybody come here and celebrating spring.

“Some might think the principle of floral art is quite old fashioned, but flower arrangers have created fantastic things – to see the range and quality in the Floral Pavilion is just amazing.”

The royal cloak, crown, orb and sceptre were designed and created by Harrogate florist, Helen James – who is no stranger to winning awards for floral artistry.

This display however, was not made to be judged but to promote the show and has done its job — images of her work graced the front pages of the national press this morning, much to the delight of show organisers.

A close up of the cloak’s beautiful floral fabric

Helen James has created promotional displays for the show for the past eight years but she said this one in particular seemed to have captured people’s attention:

“We’ve started off with a base cloak of fabric and then overlaid it with organza to create a luxurious, padded look and then applied the floral material onto that. The flowers were either stitched on or we used special glue.

“The colour inspiration came from something regal but it’s also fitting for springtime. The flowers are orchids, anthuriums, craspedia, kangaroo paws and mix of ferns and foliage, some have been coloured to fit the colour scheme.”

The work took Helen and her team four days to create, then the cloak was gently draped over a table, put in the back of a van and taken to the Great Yorkshire Showground.

It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club!

The second in our series of networking events in association with The Coach and Horses in Harrogate is an After Work Drinks event on February 23 from 5.30pm. Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district, get your tickets now by clicking or tapping here.

Three independent businesses in Harrogate , Husk beer emporium, Thug Sandwich Co and Pizza Social, have decided to collaborate to help each other out.

Customers at Husk beer emporium can get food delivered from Thug Sandwich Co or Pizza Social to enjoy in Husk’s James Street store.

The scheme is expected to be particularly popular on Wednesday’s quiz nights, where teams will be able to get pizzas delivered to eat while they compete in the quiz.

Husk’s location on James Street, just round the corner from Thug Sandwich Co, led to the two independents getting in touch and deciding to work together.

The three businesses discussed the idea over social media before putting the plan into action.

Danny James, co-owner and manager of Husk, said:

“With the Increasing energy bills, looming rising prices across the board etc we’ve recently teamed up with Thug Sandwich Co and Pizza Social…

This supports all 3 indies by increasing traffic to our bar whilst providing Thug and Pizza Social more remote seating at our place and hopefully more orders for their very awesome food offerings!”

Read more: 

• Stray Ferret Business Awards: Sustainable Business
• Business Breakfast: Award for Harrogate carer

Harrogate BID reaches final of national In Bloom competition

Harrogate BID has reached the finals of the 2023 RHS Britain in Bloom UK competition.

The business organisation has been selected for its Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration, and will compete in the BIDS, Town Centres & City Centres category. Harrogate BID was named regional winner in the category last year.

Installation part of the floral summer of celebration

The summer of celebration featured a floral trail, an indoor exhibition, and a shop window competition. This was in addition to the 200 barrier baskets, shop doorway planters and hanging baskets around the town centre.

Harrogate BID Manager, Matthew Chapman, said:

“Harrogate is famed as a floral town, and over the years has won many accolades – regional, national and international. Our floral campaign, delivered by BID Project Manager Jo Caswell, was designed to celebrate our floral heritage.

It was brilliant to partner with a number of different businesses and organisations, including Blamey’s Florist, Harrogate Theatre, The Turkish Baths, Harrogate Library, Harrogate in Bloom and Harrogate Spring Flower Show, all of whom contributed to its success.”

The winners of the In Bloom awards will be announced at a ceremony in October.

The president of Harrogate in Bloom has said she is confident the town will maintain its floral reputation after spring’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department has played a major role in maintaining the district’s green spaces over the last 50 years.

It has worked closely with Harrogate in Bloom and other volunteer groups on landscaping and creating attractive flower displays that are a major part of the town’s tourist appeal.

But the council will be abolished on April 1, triggering fears the new North Yorkshire Council, which will be based in Northallerton, might not value Harrogate’s appearance as highly and might not collaborate with local groups.

Harrogate Borough Council maintaining summer flower beds.

Pam Grant, president of Harrogate in Bloom, said she was “reassured” after talks with a representative of the new local authority about future plans. She said:

“The new council wants Harrogate in Bloom to continue and it wants Harrogate to maintain its floral reputation.

“I’m assured nothing will change overnight on April 1 and no drastic changes are planned.

“Nobody likes uncertainty but I feel reassured.”

Harrogate in Bloom is a volunteer-run group, which works with other community groups on town centre schemes.

It has also forged close relationships with Harrogate Borough Council and, more recently, Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has funded barrier baskets, hanging baskets and shop planters.

One of the BID’s floral schemes.

Harrogate was awarded a gold medal and named a winner in the small city category at this month’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards.

Ms Grant said:

“Harrogate doesn’t have a cathedral to attract visitors but it does have a reputation for being a nice town with lots of flowers and clean, fresh air.”

Read more:

• Harrogate and Ripon gardens win gold at Yorkshire in Bloom awards
• Harrogate district paddling pools to stay open but flower watering to reduce under hosepipe ban

About 100 floral tributes to the Queen have now been placed at Harrogate war memorial.

People began laying flowers shortly after the Queen’s death was announced on Thursday.

The number has grown steadily since, with many accompanied by moving handwritten notes, some written by children.

Yesterday, Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, signed the book of condolence at St. Peter’s Church in Harrogate.

Mr Jones had previously attended the choral matins special memorial service for the Queen.

St. Peter’s is open from 8:30am-6-30pm every day during the period of mourning where there is a book of condolence that people can write in.

Also, on Wednesday and Friday at 12noon there will be a short act of prayer.

Andrew Jones signs the book of condolences at St Peter’s Church. Credit: Steve Martin

At County Hall in Northallerton, councillor Margaret Atkinson, who is chair of the council and represents Masham and Fountains, read the local proclamation of King Charles III yesterday.

Today, the local proclamation of King Charles III was read by Cllr Margaret Atkinson, Chair of the Council, on the steps of County Hall in Northallerton.

God save the King. pic.twitter.com/AKgSitiNlh

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) September 11, 2022

Read more:

• Nidderdale Show moved after date of Queen’s funeral announced
• ‘I was so very lucky to have met her’ — Former director of Great Yorkshire Show pays tribute to the Queen

All council meetings in Harrogate and North Yorkshire will be cancelled next week.

Following the death of the Queen, Harrogate Borough Council has decided to suspend its meetings calendar “as a mark of respect”.

Its audit and governance committee meeting on Monday and planning committee on Tuesday have been postponed.

Meetings for the leader and cabinet on Wednesday will also be held at a later date, along with the general purposes committee and a meeting of the cabinet member for housing and safer communities the following day.

Rescheduled dates are yet to be announced.

A book of condolence has been opened at the civic centre in St Luke’s Mount, Harrogate. It will be available to be signed until 4.30pm today, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday next week and 8.30am to 4.30pm next Friday.

The council has also said floral tributes can be left on the grass in front of the war memorial opposite Bettys. Some have already begun to appear this morning.

Read more:

• Mayor leads Harrogate tributes to Queen’s ‘constant source of courage’
• Lord Lieutenant pays tribute to the Queen from North Yorkshire

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council has also cleared its calendar for the next 10 days.

Among the meetings to be postponed is the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency meeting next Thursday.

A period of national mourning is expected to be announced by the government later today, along with the date of the funeral.

The Harrogate district’s famous floral displays will soon be looking worse for wear due to the hosepipe ban.

The ban came into force today and Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed it won’t be watering plants until it is lifted.

Yorkshire Water acted following months of dry weather, which have depleted water levels in the district’s reservoirs such as Thruscross and Swinsty.

It’s the first hosepipe ban in the area since 1995 and means the council’s parks and environmental services team, which looks after floral displays in parks as well as in towns and the city of Ripon, will have to watch its hard work wither until the ban is lifted.

The district’s floral displays are a source of local pride.

Little rain is forecast for the remainder of the month.

A council spokesperson said:

“The Yorkshire Water website states that during the period of the ban councils cannot use hosepipes or sprinklers to water floral beds, displays or hanging baskets in public locations.

“This unfortunately means that we are not able to continue watering the floral beds, hanging baskets, barrier baskets or floral tubs around the Harrogate district.

“Using watering cans is not practical and continues to use water from our water supplies, which are currently in short supply and high demand”.

Read more:

• Don’t call 999 to report hosepipe ban breaches, say police
• Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district

The council also runs a subsidised hanging basket scheme in which businesses pay the council to provide the basket and plants. Staff then water and maintain the baskets throughout the summer.

The council says businesses who use the scheme will not be eligible for a refund.

Its spokesperson added:

 “The hanging basket scheme is already subsidised by the council to reduce the price of baskets to businesses in the town centre. 

“The hosepipe ban has come in at the end of the season so hopefully with lower temperatures and a bit of rain over the coming weeks the baskets will last a few more weeks until they are scheduled to be removed late September. 

“Whilst the hosepipe ban is unfortunate, it is also important that as community leaders we play our part in adhering to the restrictions and highlighting the need to conserve water”. 

Watering of public flower displays in the Harrogate district could be reduced over the coming weeks after the announcement of a hosepipe ban later this month.

Harrogate Borough Council said it will be working to reduce its water use in line with Yorkshire Water’s decision, which comes into force on Friday, August 26.

However, the authority said its three public paddling pools will remain open in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens, and Borrage Green in Ripon.

A spokesperson said:

“Following the Yorkshire Water announcement about the hosepipe ban, we are looking at what measures we can and should implement to conserve water supplies.

“Unfortunately, this may result in our baskets and floral displays looking a bit the worse for wear but we hope people will understand the reasons why.

“Our paddling pools are currently filled until after the August bank holiday, and we welcome residents and visitors using ours across the Harrogate district rather than their own.”

Harrogate’s famous floral displays could go un-watered.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council said it would be following the rules when the hosepipe ban comes into force.

Council leader Carl Les, whose portfolio includes emergency planning, said:

“We are looking at our services and where exemptions may apply, and we will be conforming with the rules. We would urge all residents to follow the advice already given out nationally and regionally on how they can conserve water usage, as we will be.

“Let’s also take care in these tinder dry conditions to avoid starting fires, which not only use large amounts of water to extinguish, but can also threaten property and in some cases lives.”

Read more:

• Hosepipe ban introduced for Harrogate district
• Temperatures to soar to 30 degrees – but no weather warning for Harrogate district

The hosepipe ban is the first to be introduced in Yorkshire since 1995.

People are asked not to use hosepipes for domestic activities including watering plants or grass, washing cars, filling paddling pools or swimming pools, or cleaning outdoor surfaces.

The activities are still permitted if they are carried out without a hosepipe, such as with a bucket or watering can, or if a water butt is used, for example.

Blue Badge holders, people on Yorkshire Water priority services register and those on the WaterSure tariff for medical reasons are exempt from the ban.

The restrictions do not apply to commercial premises using a hosepipe for essential activities.

A trail of colourful floral displays has been created in Harrogate in the hope the town will do well in the regional heat of this year’s ‘In Bloom’ competition.

The trail is part of the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID)’s ‘Floral Summer Celebration’ and tells the story of the town centre.

Each of the seven displays has a link to Harrogate’s history, including its retail offering, spa heritage and fabled tea rooms.

They are:

• Get Your Heels On, Victoria Shopping Centre Piazza, sponsored by LK Bennet
• Rabbit Patch, corner of Princes Square and Albert Street, sponsored by Nurture
• Afternoon Tea, Library Gardens
• In the Garden, West Park United Reformed Church, sponsored by The Autumn Flower Show
• …And Relax, The Cenotaph, sponsored by Cold Bath Brewing
• Cocktail Time, Montpellier Hill
• The Show Goes On, Harrogate Bus Station, Station Parade

Read More:

• Harrogate district prepares for heatwave as red weather warning issued
• New Harrogate Station Gateway details revealed today

To boost the floral theme the BID has also created an indoor exhibition which features the first Harrogate Flower Shower, held in the Sun Pavilion.

In addition, town centre businesses are involved in a shop window competition – designed to catch the eye of the In Bloom judges as they tour the town over the coming weeks.

Harrogate BID Manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate is renowned as a horticultural haven, and for the next month we are helping the town centre flex its floral muscles.

“Our Floral Summer of Celebration is all about shouting about our fame for hosting nationally-acclaimed flower shows, the fantastic Valley Gardens, and wonderful flower displays.

“In previous years, Harrogate has achieved national and international floral fame in the In Bloom competitions, and we are determined to reclaim our rightful place as the floral capital of not only the north, but the whole country.

“For the last three years, we have funded just short of 200 brightly-coloured barrier baskets and large planters outside town centre shops and businesses, whilst over the last two years, we have worked with Harrogate in Bloom and Harrogate Borough Council in facilitating hanging baskets outside town centre shops and businesses.”

Jo Caswell, Harrogate BID Project Lead, said:

“We are really excited to officially unveil our Floral Summer of Celebration. The trail will take followers to different parts of the town, helping visitors get a real flavour of what Harrogate has to offer.

“And once they have completed the trail, they can then visit the exhibition and watch the fantastic film loaned from the Yorkshire Film Archive, which will also really appeal to residents.”

Meanwhile, Harrogate in Bloom wants the public to nominate their favourite floral exteriors in the town. These can be restaurants, cafes, bars, shops or offices and should be sent to harrogateinbloom@mann.so.

The closing date for nominations is Friday 5 August 2022

Winners will be awarded with a trophy and certificate at the Harrogate in Bloom Awards in September.

Harrogate Borough Council is pushing ahead with proposals to build a new plant nursery as a replacement for its Harlow Hill site, which will become new housing.

However, the council has refused to reveal its preferred location for the new nursery.

Around 60 homes are set to be built at the existing site, which was allocated for development in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35 two years ago, although a planning application has yet to be submitted.

The plans have previously been met with anger from residents who objected to the closure of the Harlow Hill nursery where thousands of plants are grown each year for the district’s award-winning gardens.

In March, the Stray Ferret revealed two proposals for the site.

£50,000 consultants’ fee

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s new cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, has this week signed off £50,000 for “in-depth professional advice,” site surveys and other works to progress the replacement nursery plans.

A council spokesperson said these proposals are in the early stages and that it wanted to see whether the unnamed preferred site is “viable”.

The spokesperson said:

“To ensure we can continue to deliver and develop the award winning floral displays for which the Harrogate district is well known for and attracts thousands of visitors every year, alternative locations are now being explored.

“Following a successful bid for funding, the council has commissioned consultants to look at master planning and delivery options for the site with a focus on achieving innovative, quality design.

“The development will not be progressed in advance of certainty regarding the relocation of the nursery.”

Read more:

• Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash residents bracing themselves for ’15 years of disruption’
• Plans for housing at Harlow Nurseries emerge

The spokesperson also said the housing plans will include “a range of private and affordable homes”.

The council previously spent another £50,000 on a “professional site appraisal” for the new nursery plans after holding a consultation on the future of the Harlow Hill site

One resident responded to the survey to say:

“I hope this nursery is not going to close. Don’t ruin anything with more houses please.”

Another said:

“It would be a very, very sad day if the site was sold off for housing.”