The Harrogate Spring Flower Show is calling for entries to its show gardens and creative borders showcase, with the deadline on 2 December.

The showcase helps draw the 40,000 visitors who flock to the show annually, which will take place next year from 24-27 April at the Great Yorkshire Showground. 

It provides a platform for designers, horticultural professionals and students, as well as charities, community projects and businesses to collaborate and create standout displays. 

One such charity, the Harrogate-based Horticap, is an exhibitor and last year the charity, which provides adults with learning disabilities training in horticulture, created a garden to celebrate its 40th anniversary which won a premier gold award. 

“The Spring Flower Show is a great opportunity for us to showcase what we do and especially the work of our students who are very proud to take part in the show,” says Phil Airey, Horticap operations manager. 

“Our students like to show off what they can achieve and the show is a perfect platform for them to do that while gaining valuable people skills through their interaction with visitors to the show.” 

Taking part for the first time at this year’s show was the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) with a tribute to the casualties buried far from their families and its ‘11,000 miles from home’ garden won a gold award. 

Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery, located close to next year’s venue, has more than 1,000 Commonwealth war graves, tended by a team of gardeners.  

Elizabeth Smith, CWGC public engagement coordinator for the North East, adds: “This year’s Spring Flower Show was an amazing event for us. We are a big horticultural organisation with 850 gardeners employed across the world so the show was a perfect fit for us. 

“We were able to showcase our work through the show garden and by talking to 1,500 members of the public over the four days of the show, demonstrating our volunteer programme.” 

As well as seasoned gardeners, the organisers of the show are encouraging the next generation of horticulturists to take part and exhibit their talent. 

This year’s creative borders area featured a display by students from Shipley College which won a silver gilt award.   

“Our students really enjoyed taking part in the project which involved them designing and sourcing materials to constructing on site and talking with visitors at the show,” says Kate Paterson, garden design tutor. 

Funding support is available to cover the material costs of garden and border entries, and show garden and creative border entries can be made online.