Review at the Great Yorkshire Showground, April 20-23
A regal experience awaited visitors to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2023, celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, with a ‘floral’ coronation cloak, designed by award-winning, Harrogate-based florist Helen James. Big thanks to Gary Welford for the pictures!
This robe was the centrepiece of the show. Newby Hall, which hosts the sister, Autumn Show, has replicas of the St Edward’s Crown, Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, and Sovereign’s Orb. The originals were created for King Charles II in 1660 by Sir Robert Vyner, an ancestor of Newby’s Crompton family.
I visited on the opening day (Thursday) and the show was packed, back to pre-pandemic levels. Organisers are reckoning on some 50,000 visitors across the four days at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
Firstly, what’s new if you’re a regular? Well, the layout has changed a bit – the Food Hall’s new home is in Hall 2, with the nursery displays, flower show and society exhibits all in Hall 1. The show has certainly got smaller in the years that I’ve been going and I was disappointed by the lack of unusual exotics to buy, but that’s generally what I look for. That said, it is still well worth a visit and while the nursery exhibitors indoors aren’t as numerous, the outdoor plant stalls and gardening sundries seemed to be doing a roaring trade.
Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2023 – Shop until you drop…
If you’re looking for a big purchase, such as a greenhouse or furniture, there are plenty of show offers to tempt you. Plants were good value too. I bought two Alocasia (giant taro) for £9 in total from Jacques Amand. A quick look at the RHS site – £24.99! Herbs were the big sellers too. I’ve been looking all over for lawn chamomile and found some, four for £12. You’ll make that £25 entrance fee back in no time!
The eternal problem with both the Spring and Autumn shows is that there never seems to be enough seating. A large percentage of the visitors are either elderly and/or have mobility problems. This makes it very difficult to get a seat anywhere at lunchtime. My advice – eat early or late and try to avoid the noon-2pm rush. Food is pricy, but not different from any other event – £6 for a large pasty (but it was delicious).
I’m a big fan of the talks and demos, this year across four stages. I sampled two, with Sarah Hopps on the GROW! Live stage and for the first time on the Create! stage with a floristry demonstration.
Creative Borders
Alas, the big show gardens of old are diminished now at Harrogate. Instead was The Creative Borders competition, which showcased innovative garden designs for compact spaces. In this cost of living crisis, these realistic small spaces had three categories – The New Gardener, Sun, Shade or Shelter and Town or Country.
All were designed in the same small raised beds, making them easy for everyone to see. The only downside to this was that many visitors thought they’d use them as extra seating! I found this incredibly disrespectful, as so many organisations had put a lot of time and effort into creating them for the show.
Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2023 – Floral Arts Pavilion and results
The Floral Arts Pavilion hosts the largest exhibition by florists and flower arrangers in the country. As ever, there was the cream of floristry talent on show, as well as up-and-coming students. My favourite category was the tribute to Vivienne Westwood – wonderful designs!
- Best in Show Flower Arrangements: Musgrave Hoyle: Tanya Smith A5 – Vortex.
- Best in Show Floristry The Ogden Trophy: Charlotte Foster Lill B1 – Punk and Petal.
Flower Arrangement Classes
Here are last year’s results.
A1 Sunlight: 1st Dorothy Maguire, 2nd Kik Whitehead, 3rd Gabriel MadridWillingham, Very Highly Commended Sarah Murphy, High Commended Arthur McDonald, Commended Jenni Baker.
A2 Life Emerging: 1st Margaret Breaks, 2nd Carol Baker, 3rd Anne Davison, Very Highly Commended Paula Routledge, Highly Commended Jenni Baker, Commended Catherine White.
A3 Regal Splendour: 1st Diane Faunch, 2nd Lynn Bottamley, 3rd Eleanor Griffiths, Highly Commended Ian Buxton, Commended Paula Routledge, Commended Julie Dickinson.
A4 Magnificent Millinery: 1st Anne Davison, 2nd Julie Dickinson, 3rd Michelle Hunter, Highly Commended Katie Wilcockson.
A5 Vortex: 1st Tanya Smith, 2nd Elaine Bedford, 3rd Sue Oliver, Very Highly Commended Janet Schofield, Highly Commended Carol Baker, Commended Gillian Jackson.
A6 Outside Looking In: 1st Sue Oliver, 2nd Joan Davy, 3rd Janet Schofield, Commended Barbara Leeming, Margaret Breaks.
A7 Wild Thing: 1st Eileen Barraclough, 2nd Gillian Jackson, 3rd Ken Hough, Very Highly Commended Arthur McDonald, Highly Commended Kath Shaw, Commended Janet Schofield, Susan Fairhurst, Jade Loftus.
A8 Monochromatic: 1st Eleanor Griffiths, 2nd Susan Fairhurst, 3rd Jade Loftus, Very Highly Commended Joan Davy, Highly Commended John Hawkridge, Commended Margaret Delany, Paul Neve, Paula Routledge.
A9 Culinary Creation: 1st Elaine Bedford, 2nd Kik Whitehead, 3rd Kath Shaw, Highly Commended Lynn Bottamley, Commended Nicola Robson, Pat Bundy.
A10 Box of Delights: 1st Pat Bundy, 2nd Ken Hough, 3rd Anne Davison, Very Highly Commended Joyce Hearnshaw, Commended Nicola Robson.
- The Jeannie Watson Trophy for the Best Use of Colour: Susan Fairhurst – A8 Monochromatic.
- The Pat Hutchinson Trophy for the Best Use of UK Garden Plant Material: Sue Oliver A6 – Outside Looking In.
- The Grenfell Medal: Anne Davison and Elaine Bedford.
NAFAS Area Awards
This Sceptred Isle: North West Area – Scotland – Gold, North Midlands Area – Wales – Silver, North East Area – England – Bronze.
Best in Show Floristry
- The Ogden Trophy: Charlotte Foster-Lill – Punk & Petal.
- The Student Trophy: Catherine Cooney – Raise the Bar.
Floristry Classes
- B1 Punk and Petal: 1st Charlotte Foster-Lill, 2nd Julie Dickinson, 3rd Helen Pannitt.
- B2 Courtesy to a Consort: 1st Soolmaz Lashgary, 2nd Christine Blackham, 3rd Paula Routledge.
- B3 Life on the Veg:1st Deborah Malpas, 2nd Alison Lennox, 3rd Heather Broadbent.
- B4 Raise the Bar: 1st Catherine Cooney, 2nd Mariella Angela Picciau, 3rd Tia Holroyd.
Florist Colleges – Inventive Britain
- Overall winner: Bishop Burton College – Gold.
- Wigan & Leigh – Gold.
- Bishop Burton – Gold.
- Tyne Metropolitan – Silver.
- Askham Bryan – Silver.
- Doncaster – Silver.
- Shipley – Silver.
- Northumberland Silver.
Prices: Adult £25, child (under 16 years) free, general parking free. Tickets are available to buy online at www.flowershow.org.uk.
