Monster veg comes up trumps again
Sorry, RHS, forget Chelsea – the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show 2016 knocked it into a cocked hat (as does the spring event). It may not have the glamour or the high-class show gardens, but these are my five top reasons for going:
- Value for money;
- Ability to buy plants and goods at end-of-season bargain prices;
- Monster veg;
- A new plant hall;
- For northerners, it’s doable in a day.
OK, the weather was shocking this morning (torrential rain), but the beauty of Harrogate is that big chunks of it are undercover, so even if everyone dashes inside, it’s not too packed. The new Plant Pavilion is a great improvement, with displays and plant sales from nearly 100 of the country’s leading nurseries. The layout is also different this year, so it’s well worth investing in a programme so you don’t miss anything.
Harrogate Autumn Flower Show 2016 – my purchases
Buying plants from the experts is one of the main reasons I go, this time coming away with three autumn-flowering Gentian Shot Silk from County Durham’s Harperley Hall Farm Nurseries.
After being so inspired by the Mathematics Garden at Chelsea this year, I’d been looking out for a suitably gnarled (but small) pine tree to be the centrepiece of a winter revamp. I’d searched everywhere online, but the Stonecrop Nurseries stand came up trumps, with its choice of trees and shrubs. I’m now the proud owner of a grafted Pinus strobus radiata, with cones that look like they’ve been doused in icing sugar. Sounds a bit steep at £69, but I’ve looked long enough to know I got a good deal and lots of help from Lindsay. For more information, visit www.stonecropnurseries.co.uk.
I also bought three Echeveria for £10 from Armlee Nurseries, for more details visit www.armleenurseries.co.uk.
Monster veg and flowers
Of course, that perennial favourite, the monster veg exhibits, didn’t fail to disappoint. However, the winning pumpkin was mysteriously missing when we were looking around the show benches! The flower show was as startling as ever. One of the winning dahlia pairs was the appropriately named Gateshead Festival.
Harrogate Autumn Flower Show 2016 – Any downsides?
Don’t expect the show gardens on Green Lane to be up to the RHS Chelsea standard. That’s not the point, and it’s easier to get ideas that will work in your garden without daft concepts. There can be quite a walk from the parking to the entrance, but there is a shuttle bus.
And for non-gardeners…
There’s plenty for the rest of the family to do, with lots of children’s entertainment. The fabulous Food Marquee and Yorkshire crafts and gifts. For the latest flower show details and tickets, visit www.flowershow.org.uk. Read more about how the show’s progressed in my 2022 review.
