Above: Fish Pool by Diane Maclean
Go on an immersive journey through art and nature at the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park, near Ripon, at its new 60 collection artwork exhibition entitled Sculpture in the Landscape. It opens for the season next week on Thursday April 18 until the end of October 2024.
Showcasing artists from across the globe, the pieces are dotted around the 45 acres of gardens and will be on display along with the 90 mixed media permanent sculptures.
Willow Snow Tiger by Leila Veneer
From monumental installations to intricate pieces, each sculpture will invite those visiting the garden to think about the artwork in a unique and thought-provoking manner. This is all to the backdrop of the gardens that are home to more than 20,000 plants, including one of the North’s largest collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias.
Visitors can expect to encounter sculptures crafted from a myriad of materials, each telling a unique story and the garden can make for a great day out for art enthusiasts, nature lovers, and families alike.
Barn Owl And Vole by Bryn Parry
Will Roberts from the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park said:
“We are delighted to present this exhibition, celebrating the intersection of art and nature.
“This year’s exhibition features a rich tapestry of creative expressions, offering visitors an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in the beauty of both the sculptural and natural worlds and provides a platform for established and emerging artists to showcase their talent while fostering dialogue about the environment, culture, and society.”
The artwork will also be available for visitors to buy should they wish; just head to this link for details.
Gallery
A Vessel by Cillian Briody
Mr And Mrs Pig by Henrietta Bud
Fallen Fruit, Apple III by Chris Moss
A Vessel by Cillian Briody
The Watchman by Rory Cannon
A Brisk Walk by Simon Conolly RBSA, RSMA
Aderyn by Stephen Page
Swift Return by Gill Wicks BA(Hons) Fashion Design, PGCE
Blue Door Sycamore by Dave Watkinson
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5 things to do in and around Harrogate this weekend
Get out and about with our guide of the top cultural goings-on from 5-7 April.
Attend a calligraphy course
(Image: Pixaby)
Handwriting seems to be somewhat of a dying art form, partly due to the rise in technology. Learn the skills of beautiful handwriting at this two-hour calligraphy workshop in Knaresborough.
Aimed at beginners and improvers, you will learn the strokes that are based on ancient manuscripts and get the knowhow to create Celtic designs.
£25, booking is required as spaces are limited, 10am-12noon, April 6, Briggate Art, 9a Briggate, Knaresborough, HG5 8BQ, 07931 778 276, chameleonartclasses@gmail.com.
Meet the artist exploring the life of a curlew
(Image: Paco Valera)
Did you know that the curlew is the largest European wading bird, found on estuaries in winter and the moors in summer?
Head up to the Yorkshire Dales this weekend and meet one of the artists behind the Curlew Calling exhibition, Sally Zaranko.
Sally’s work is shown alongside Paco Valera’s photography as well as experienced and highly regarded North Yorkshire artists including Judith Bromley, Hester Cox and Robert Nicholls.
You can chat, draw and write about the beautiful bird at the event.
Free, 10am-3pm, April 6, Dales Countryside Museum, Station Yard, Hawes, DL8 3NT.
Attempt to grow the tallest sunflower
(Image: Pixaby)
You know warmer climes are on the way when you’re sowing sunflower seeds. And this weekend is the last chance to take part in the Sunflower Challenge at F Tate & Sons in Ripon.
Plant your sunflower seed at the planting table at the nursery, take your seed pot home and then post the results on social media by August 15, tagging @FTateandSons and @RiponBID for a chance to win one of three kids’ gardening prizes.
Free, 10am-4pm, April 6, F Tate & Sons, Larkhill Nurseries, Studley Road, Ripon, HG4 2QR.
Visit Goldsborough Hall gardens
(Image: Goldsborough Hall gardens)
This week is Community Gardens Week for the National Open Garden Scheme, and to mark the occasion Goldsborough Hall is opening its gardens to the public on Sunday 7 April. Visitors can expect to see colourful displays from spring bulbs, the woodland walk and a stroll up the quarter-mile long Lime Tree Walk that is lined by a carpet of more than 50,000 daffodils.
There will also be garden talks in the Kitchen Garden at 12pm and 2pm by Goldsborough Hall’s head gardener, and a plant stall on the terrace too.
£7.50 per adult, children free, 11am-4pm, April 7, Goldsborough Hall, Knaresborough, HG5 8NR.
Last chance to see For the Love of Art at 108 Fine Art Gallery
(Image: For the Love of Art at 108 Fine Art Gallery)
Forming part of 108 Fine Art Gallery’s collections that breathe new life into the stories they tell, For the Love of Art explores personal narratives and shared experiences.
Showcasing the works of artists Paul Wager and Laimonis Mierins, expect to see work that’s from the heart and explores memories and personal connections that have been made.
Free, 11am-5pm, until April 6, 108 Fine Art Gallery, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, HG2 ONA.
Do you have an event that you’d like us to potentially feature in the future? Drop me an email at francesca@thestrayferret.co.uk
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RHS plans Harlow Carr service yard redevelopment
The Royal Horticultural Society has tabled plans for a major redevelopment of its service yard at Harlow Carr in Harrogate.
The organisation plans to build a workshop and machinery store, composting store, staff welfare building, events store, poly tunnel and glasshouse on the site.
In proposals lodged to North Yorkshire Council, the RHS said the redevelopment would help to support the “operation of the garden in a highly sustainable way”.
It added that the current facilities at the service yard were “nearing the end of their economic life” and in poor condition.
The site would continue to be used for horticultural support staff at the gardens, the documents added.
In plans submitted to the council, it said:
“As an existing operational site, the redevelopment of the horticultural service yard will improve the functionality and sustainability of the RHS garden.
“The design of the proposal will support the objectives of the Harrogate Local Plan to support business and tourism expansion in existing locations, whilst respecting and improving the character of the wider landscape and positively enhancing the natural and built environment.”
The Stray Ferret contacted the RHS to ask how much the redevelopment would cost.
In response, a spokesperson for the RHS said:
“The RHS has numerous projects to develop all of our sites. At RHS Garden Harlow Carr, we are improving our existing nursery and staff facilities to make them more efficient, and therefore more sustainable and greener.
“We are unable to give an estimate on costs due to ongoing discussions with proposed contractors.”
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
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Where to see Open Gardens in the Harrogate district
Some of the best private gardens in the Harrogate district have been opening their doors to the public over summer.
The National Open Gardens Scheme enables people to view gardens that are not usually accessible. Visitors are normally asked to pay a small fee that is then donated to charity.
About 3,500 gardens across Britain take part in the initiative, which started in 1927 to raise money for nurses. Last year it raised £3.11 million.
We have previously featured events in Great Ouseburn, Norton Conyers, Knaresborough and Marton-cum-Grafton, which took place in June.
Some venues run their own open gardens days, which are not part of the national scheme. If you have one coming up, let us know and we will add it to our listings. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Hampsthwaite
Hampsthwaite will be hosting 12 open gardens on Saturday 1 July from 12.30pm to 5pm.
The trail will begin on the village green, viewing historical properties. There should be a wide variety of planted and naturally wild areas.
It will then follow down Church Lane and end at Station House.
Entry is £5 and free for accompanied under-15s. All proceeds will go to St. Thomas a Beckett Church, Hampsthwaite.
Tickets can be bought on the day from the Memorial Hall.
For more information about what’s on check here.
Harrogate
Saint Michael’s Hospice is opening the grounds of its hospice on Hornbeam Park, between 11am and 3pm on July 2. Visitors can admire the work of the volunteer gardening team, see the hospice’s ‘secret’ viewpoint and enjoy the beauty of the space.
Refreshments will be served on the terrace overlooking Crimple Valley and there will be a raffle, craft activities, live music from the Spa Town Ukes and a plant sale.
Entry is free with donations welcome for refreshments and activities. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and assistance dogs are the only dogs permitted.
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Gallery: Great Ouseburn displays its dazzling gardens
Great Ouseburn may be small but it showed yesterday it has some of the finest gardens in the Harrogate district.
Sixteen private gardens opened for the day as part of the village’s annual garden festival.
They included a wildflower meadow, quirky modern designs, cottage gardens and even one small courtyard garden that doesn’t get any sun for almost half the year.
The festival has grown to become about more than beautiful gardens: there were also concerts by the vocal ensemble Camerata Sonora in St Mary’s Church, a cookery demonstration, wine tasting, gardeners’ question time and displays of Morgan cars and alpacas on the village green.
With cricket on the playing fields and tea and cakes in the school, it made for a quintessentially English experience that even included a downpour, which fortunately did not take place until five minutes before the event was due to end.
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The festival, which raises money for village causes, was the latest of many midsummer open gardens events taking place across the district.
Knaresborough and Marton-cum-Grafton are holding events this weekend.
For further details, click here.
Here are some photos from Great Ouseburn yesterday.
The Stray Ferret has launched our new Photo of the Week feature to highlight the beauty of the Harrogate district captured by talented local photographers.
Send your photos to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to feature here. We are interested in amateur and professional pictures.
