The search is now on to find the 2012 Master Gardener.
The prestigious title of Master Gardener is being awarded by the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS), a leading gardening charity set up to promote horticulture across the northern region.
The competition will form part of the 2012 Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, staged by the NEHS at the Great Yorkshire Showground, 14 – 16 September.
Growers are being challenged to impress judges at the UK’s premier autumn gardening festival with four top class exhibits of fruit, vegetables, flowers and potted plants.
Martin Fish, Harrogate Flower Show Director said:
Every year our visitors look forward to seeing a fantastic standard of entries in the individual classes for fruit, veg and flowers, but many growers tend to specialise in either one or the other.
What we are looking for is all-round excellence, someone who can turn their hand to growing several different types of produce and can demonstrate that they truly are a Master Gardener.
Preparations are already well underway for the 2012 Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, which gives thousands of gardeners the chance to celebrate harvest and plan for the new growing season.
This year’s show will see the return of colossal cabbages, massive marrows and terrific tomatoes in the giant vegetable competition, plus new bids to break the record for the world’s heaviest onion.
Beautiful show garden borders will bring ideas from the designer to the doorstep, and an absolutely staggering array of over 5,000 fabulous autumn flowers awaits visitors to Britain’s biggest exhibition of specialist gardening groups. The 2012 show borders are sponsored by Abbotts Green Luxury Lodge Living and Prestige Park & Leisure Homes.
Expert teams from Kitchen Garden Live, the Garden Roadshow and the Garden Advice Bureau will be on hand to provide advice and entertainment with talks, demonstrations and one-to-one discussions on growing everything from herbs to hostas, as well as answering all the tricky gardening conundrums cropping up this year.
TV celebrity Rosemary Shrager will lead the line up in the Cookery Theatre on Friday 14 September, and chefs from across the region will share a daily menu of mouth-watering ideas for turning home grown produce into delicious meals.
Entries for the Autumn Flower Show, including the Master Gardener class, close on Saturday 8 September 2012. For more details or a schedule visit www.flowershow.org.uk
Tickets on the gate: Friday/Saturday £15; Sunday £14; under-16s go free when accompanied by an adult. There is a £2.50 discount on every ticket booked before noon on Tuesday 4 September 2012. Ticket hotline 01423 546157 or book online at www.flowershow.org.uk
