Above image: making seed bombs, Meadow in my Garden

Harrogate Spring Flower Show is back and is taking place this week over four days from Thursday April 25 to Sunday April 28. It is one of the most popular events in the area, attracting up to 90,000 visitors each year.

Get garden inspiration aplenty thanks to plant and floral nursery displays, garden designs, talks and demonstrations. There will also be stalls selling everything you could possibly need to make your garden the sanctuary you’d like it to be – the perfect inspiration as we (hopefully and eventually) head into warmer climes.

And this year visitors to Harrogate Spring Flower Show can partake in a complimentary class led by seasoned plant experts.

All you need to do is head to the Plant Workshop stand in the Grand Floral Hall and sign up. But be warned: places are limited to one class per person, are subject to availability and are sure to go fast.

Create a mini spring floral arrangement

Leafy Couture

Arrange a spring flower posy at this workshop by Leafy Couture.

Attendees will learn about the flowers that will be used for the posy that will likely be a mixture of double, frilly and parrot tulips, ranunculus, blossom, wallflowers and foliages, and then be shown step-by-step how to arrange them.

Every day, 11.15am-12 noon.

Make seed bombs

Meadow in my Garden

Meadow in my Garden is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that promotes gardening for wildlife.

Its workshop will impart some useful tips about flower meadow creation including seed selection, methodology and maintenance, and will provide a breakdown of the best way to produce seed balls to become a guerrilla gardener.

Every day, 1.15pm-2pm.

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Dive into the art of mossarium crafting 

York Terrariums

Learn all about the history and science behind these self-sustaining ecosystems before getting a chance to build your own.

The workshop by York Terrariums will start with a short introduction explaining the history and science that goes into building a terrarium, from the different plants you can use to why activated charcoal is a special ingredient.

Then you can roll up your sleeves and create your own, filling a terrarium jar with various plants, pebbles, and moss.

At the end of the session, take away the miniature garden home and watch it develop over the next few months and years.

Every day, 3.15pm-4pm.

Make sure you check out… the Houseplant Zone

Image: Pixaby

Looking for new houseplants? Then head to the Houseplant Zone, also new for 2024.

Featuring a backdrop based on the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon created by Leafy Couture Flowers, here you’ll discover perfect plants for every corner; whether it’s a shady hallway yearning for greenery or a sun-drenched windowsill begging for life.

Any finally…

A visual of Harrogate Hospital’s show garden

The long-awaited show gardens are back for 2024. Featuring inspirational garden design, they will also showcase local organisations’ work through horticulture, including Horticap, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

It will also host the Creative Borders category, supported by the Association of Professional Landscapers, that will have innovative ideas and creative concepts for the smallest of spaces.

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The mental health benefits of gardening are being celebrated at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show which starts tomorrow.

Designers from across the country will be creating a flash of floral inspiration aimed at showcasing the country’s growing connection with plants and flowers.

The four-day event at the Great Yorkshire Showground will feature ‘Grow Your Home’, a colourful installation created by floral stylists from Leeds-based Leafy Couture.

The display, featuring hundreds of blooms around a central courtyard setting, offers visitors a glimpse of the joys which flowers can bring, which was particularly highlighted during the pandemic.

Show director Nick Smith said:

“After a difficult time for many of us, this year’s Spring show concentrates entirely on the positives which plants and landscapes can bring to us all.

“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.”

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) has chosen the flower show to launch its latest campaign – ‘A Floral Summer of Celebration’.

Between July 15 and August 12, the town centre will be home to a floral trail featuring 10 unique displays, floral-themed shop windows and events starring key speakers from the world of gardening.

Pictured at their art deco-themed flower show stand: From left, Harrogate BID Chair Sara Ferguson, BID manager Matthew Chapman, Blameys florist Fran Addis, BID business and marketing executive Bethany Allen, Blameys owner Ruth Fisher and BID business liaison officer Jo Caswell.

This will be in addition to dozens of hanging baskets outside town centre businesses, the numerous flower beds maintained by Harrogate Borough Council, more than 200 barrier baskets funded by Harrogate BID and some specially commissioned floral street art.

Read more:

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Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID manager, said:

“Harrogate is renowned for its floral displays; it’s the home to RHS Garden Harlow Carr, the stunning Valley Gardens, and of course the Spring Flower Show, which is one of the biggest and best in the North of England, if not the whole country.

“This summer, Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration will see us celebrating our floral excellence and the return of Yorkshire in Bloom after a two-year absence.”

Featuring show garden features, plant nursery displays and floral art, the show will include plenty of colour, style and inspiration.

Local charities will also be showcasing their work, including Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon and Horticap in Harrogate.

This year the programme of live entertainment includes talks and demos across four stages.

A new show, ‘Human Gardener’ will offer a series of fun and engaging sofa conversations with the people behind the plants – from bee inspectors to fungi fanatics.

Over on the Gardener’s Kitchen stage, TV cook and chef consultant Stephanie Moon will create dishes from veg patch produce, with the help of grow-your-own guru Martin Walker. 

Meanwhile, the GROW! Live team will provide answers to  gardening questions, whilst the CREATE! Floral stage will host celebrity floral designer Jonathan Moseley.

Thousands of garden products, handmade crafts, gifts and specialist foods will also be on offer.

Tickets

Pre-booked tickets with a £3 saving on gate prices are available online until midnight tonight.

Thursday to Saturday tickets are £20.50 online, £23.50 on the gate.

Sunday tickets are £18 online, £21 on the gate.

Children under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. General car parking is free.

The Harrogate Spring Flower Show is returning for its 100th anniversary on Thursday. It’s one of the first large events going ahead in Harrogate post-covid.

This perennial event has made its way back into the Harrogate calendar after covid forced organisers to cancel the event last year.

It is also the first major gardening show to take place in 2021 but some changes have had to be made.

Capacity has been capped at 5,000 each day rather than the usual 60,000 guests. The show has also been adapted to suit an outdoor setting with stands and displays spaced out to allow for social distancing.

Classic show favourites like the garden, plant displays, daily demos and cook-alongs will still be going ahead.

Show Director Nick Smith said:

“After what has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone, we are delighted to be able to welcome visitors and exhibitors back to Harrogate to celebrate 100 years of horticultural excellence and help bring a little joy and colour into people’s lives again.

“Despite some fantastic progress over the last few months, we recognise that life is still far from ‘normal’ and so, inevitably, Spring Essentials will be different from the show we all know and love.”

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The event’s venue, the Great Yorkshire Showground, is currently being used as a covid vaccination centre, with many people from across the district visiting each day to receive the vaccine.

The shows are run by the North of England Horticultural Society, which says it has worked closely with the showground team and local authorities to ensure visitors can have a safe and enjoyable day out.

The event begins Thursday May 20 until Sunday May 23. Tickets can be booked here.

The organisers of Harrogate Spring Flower Show have announced the event will be delayed by a month as the covid vaccine is rolled out.

The smaller Spring Essentials event was due to be held in April at the Great Yorkshire Showground but has been delayed to allow more time for the vaccine to take effect across the population.

Social distancing will be in place and ticket numbers have been limited for each day of the event, now set for May 20 to 23. Normally, 60,000 people would attend the four-day event, but this year only 5,000 can attend each day.

All tickets must be bought online prior to the event. People can expect to see their usual favourites at the outdoor event, including show gardens, plant nurseries and live theatres.

The event’s venue, the Great Yorkshire Showground, is currently being used as a covid vaccination centre, with many people from across the district visiting each day to receive the vaccine.

Harrogate Flower Shows director Nick Smith said:

“We have been planning a covid-safe event using the green open spaces at the showground for many months. Based on the information available and predictions made last autumn, we had hoped that measures to combat the virus would be in place in time for us to hold Spring Essentials on our usual weekend in April.

“The new variant has clearly changed the situation across the UK and so it seems sensible to take advantage of the extra time for the measures to take effect.”

Read more:

• Great Yorkshire Showground to become a covid vaccination centre.
• Local produce expert looks forward to spring.

The shows are run by the North of England Horticultural Society, which says it has worked closely with the showground team and local authorities to ensure visitors can have a safe and enjoyable day out.

The organisers have said anyone who purchased a ticket for the previous dates will be contacted and offered to transfer their tickets or get a refund.

Mr Smith added:

“The extra time afforded by this change of date will give us the best possible chance of delivering the show our visitors and exhibitors have told us they so badly want to see happen.”