We are counting down to this month’s Harrogate Spring Flower Show at the Great Yorkshire Events Centre from 24-27 April.

The show is the first of the year’s major gardening events in the UK with a spectacular celebration of the very best in horticulture.

We are delighted to announce that as part of this year’s Show Gardens feature there will be an edible garden exploring the vital importance of food as a basic human right for all.

Based on the principles of sustainability and food security, the Food is our Common Ground Garden highlights the work of York Food Bank whose mission is to “meet the needs of those in their local community in times of crisis by providing practical help and access to high-quality advice, leading to improved circumstances and the hope of a brighter future.”

The garden is the brainchild of garden designer Helena Glassup of Euphorbia Gardens, contractor Ian Calpin of Ian Calpin Landscape Services and Sam Glassup, facilities manager for Clifton Moor and Stirling Park industrial estates. York Food Bank is based at Stirling Park and site owners Legal and General have a strong commitment to fostering ESG projects on their sites.

At the heart of the design is the vision of a community garden that not only provides nourishment but also sustains. The garden features a harmonious blend of fruiting trees, shrubs, and herbs—plants that are both beautiful and functional, with food production as the key selection criterion.

The planting theme creates a vibrant, productive edible garden that encourages community interaction, with trees and shrubs providing seasonal structure and shade while offering nourishment throughout the growing season.

A variety of culinary herbs are carefully positioned for ease of harvest, allowing visitors to actively engage with the garden. Edible perennials provide year-round interest and productivity, reducing the need for annual replanting and promoting a more sustainable approach to food production—one that remains both beautiful and functional.

Wherever possible, materials for the garden will be reclaimed or upcycled from projects on Clifton Moor, reducing the environmental impact of the hard landscaping.

Helena Glassup said: “Our garden serves as a vision of hope—demonstrating how we can come together as a community to nurture both the land and each other.

“The garden explores the crucial link between short-term food relief and long-term food security. We hope to demonstrate that by learning to grow their own food, individuals and communities can reduce dependence on emergency support, paving the way for a healthier, more food-secure future. Aside from this, social gardening offers many other benefits, strengthening community bonds, promoting well-being, and fostering resilience and sustainability.”

Organised by the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS), the Harrogate Spring Flower show attracts over 40,000 visitors each year. Highlights for 2025 include the spectacular Floral Hall featuring seasonal displays of stunning spring blooms, inspiring Show Gardens and Creative Borders and the biggest exhibition of creative floral art in the UK., Offering inspiration for everyone, visitors to the show can also be immersed in everything from growing for the non-green fingered to cooking up a storm with homegrown produce in a host of fantastic talks and demonstrations by expert speakers and creators across four exciting live stages.

Tickets are available now at £28 per person from https://www.flowershow.org.uk/spring-show/.