Harrogate in Bloom winners announcedFloral window competition returns to Harrogate this summerEntries open for Harrogate in Bloom competitionHarrogate district celebrates gold rush at Yorkshire in Bloom

The Harrogate district took home several gold medals at yesterday’s Yorkshire in Bloom Awards.

Harrogate in Bloom won the gold medal in the small city category for the quality of its floral displays in the town and on the approach roads.

Harrogate in Bloom was also awarded the discretionary Yorkshire Rose Best City Award 2023 at the event, which was held at the Riley-Smith Hall in Tadcaster.

Local towns, villages, and communities across also received recognition for their floral efforts.

Yorkshire in Bloom, which is a regional representative of the RHS Britain in Bloom campaign, encourages people to get green fingered and brighten up their surroundings.

It hopes this will boost local economy through increased tourism and promote environmental maintenance and cleanliness.

Competitors are assessed by local judges based on criteria set by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Here are details of the local winners.

Harrogate in Bloom – Small City Award: Gold (category winner)

Harrogate in Bloom saw a range of floral exhibitions around the town centre coordinated by Harrogate Business Improvement District.

Judges said:

“The floral displays in the town and on the approach roads are excellent and maintained to a high standard. This is matched in places with perennial planting and alternative mowing regimes to improve biodiversity.”

Harrogate town centre

Ripon in Bloom – Town/City Centre Award: Silver Gilt

 Judges praised the floral “hidden gems” at Ripon Spa Gardens and Temple Gardens.

They said the display added to the city being “a blooming attractive place to visit”.

Evie Wood’s coronation design in Ripon Spa Gardens

Knaresborough in Bloom – Large Town Award: Gold (joint category winner)

 Hanging baskets and floral pots around the town all contributed to Knaresborough’s first prize.

Those involved put a great deal of thought and horticultural knowledge into it, the judges said, as well as describing it as “beautifully carried out”.

Pic: Knaresborough in Bloom Facebook

Starbeck in Bloom – Urban Community Award: Gold (joint category winner)

 Starbeck’s entry was considered to be “much loved” by the judges.

They said despite the entry largely being a single Harrogate street, there is a “real sense of community and caring about their local environment”.

Pic: Starbeck in Bloom Facebook

Villages/Communities/Businesses

Birstwith in Bloom — Village Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Birstwith in Bloom — Best Small Community – Winner

Spofforth in Bloom — Village Award: Gold (joint category winner)

Knaresborough Castle — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Gold

Ripon Spa Gardens — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Platinum

Valley Gardens — Parks, Gardens, Cemeteries & Buildings Award: Platinum

Millennium Garden Spofforth –RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Ginny Greenholes Spofforth — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Ripon Museum Trust Garden — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 5, Outstanding

Woodlands Community Garden — RHS ‘It’s your Neighbourhood’ Award: Level 4, Thriving

Harrogate Golf Club – Small Business Award: Silver Gilt

Goldsborough Hall – Medium Business Award: Gold (category winner)

Nidd Hall Hotel — Medium Business Award: Gold

Rudding Park Hotel – Large Business Award: Gold (category winner)

Himalayan Gardens and Sculpture Park — Tourist Attractions: Gold

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Call for entries as In Bloom contest returns across Harrogate

Hotels, pubs, restaurants, care homes and communities are being called on to be part of a floral competition in Harrogate for the first time since before the pandemic.

Harrogate in Bloom (HIB) has launched its annual contest for businesses and community organisations this summer.

It will be the first time the competition has been run in full since 2019, after being called off in 2020.

HIB member Mary Mann, who helps to organise the competition, told the Stray Ferret:

“We couldn’t meet or go round to see the gardens during covid.

“We did a small competition last year, but we’re determined it’s going to get back to normal this year. We used to have masses of entries before covid.”

The competition has four categories: bars and restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, residential communities, and communal gardens.

The latter is aimed at public places such as churches which have outside space, while residential communities are often blocks of flats with communal gardens.

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The size of the garden is not important in any of the categories – the judges will be looking at the way the space is maintained and the use of flowers, including those in containers.

Each entrant will be judged against RHS criteria and given an award for the standard it achieves, from a certificate of merit up to a gold award. A winner will be announced in each category in September.

Judging will be carried out by Chris Beard and Roger Brownbridge, both experienced Yorkshire in Bloom and Harrogate in Bloom judges.

To find out more about the competition, or enter by the deadline of June 30, click here.

Meanwhile, Harrogate is also gearing up for judging in the regional Yorkshire in Bloom contest.

Members of HIB and other organisations have been working hard to ensure the town is shown off at its best over the summer, maintaining its long tradition of success in floral competitions.

Harrogate BID, meanwhile, has been selected for Britain in Bloom after winning gold in last year’s Yorkshire Contest. The business organisation will be supported by members of HIB to prepare for judging.

Harrogate’s floral reputation looks set to continue

The president of Harrogate in Bloom has said she is confident the town will maintain its floral reputation after spring’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s parks and environmental services department has played a major role in maintaining the district’s green spaces over the last 50 years.

It has worked closely with Harrogate in Bloom and other volunteer groups on landscaping and creating attractive flower displays that are a major part of the town’s tourist appeal.

But the council will be abolished on April 1, triggering fears the new North Yorkshire Council, which will be based in Northallerton, might not value Harrogate’s appearance as highly and might not collaborate with local groups.

Harrogate Borough Council parks and gardens flowers

Harrogate Borough Council maintaining summer flower beds.

Pam Grant, president of Harrogate in Bloom, said she was “reassured” after talks with a representative of the new local authority about future plans. She said:

“The new council wants Harrogate in Bloom to continue and it wants Harrogate to maintain its floral reputation.

“I’m assured nothing will change overnight on April 1 and no drastic changes are planned.

“Nobody likes uncertainty but I feel reassured.”

Harrogate in Bloom is a volunteer-run group, which works with other community groups on town centre schemes.

It has also forged close relationships with Harrogate Borough Council and, more recently, Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has funded barrier baskets, hanging baskets and shop planters.

BID planters

One of the BID’s floral schemes.

Harrogate was awarded a gold medal and named a winner in the small city category at this month’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards.

Ms Grant said:

“Harrogate doesn’t have a cathedral to attract visitors but it does have a reputation for being a nice town with lots of flowers and clean, fresh air.”

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Harrogate school pupil’s flower bed design for Queen’s Jubilee wins trophy

A pupil of Ashville College in Harrogate has won the Harrogate in Bloom award for his flowerbed design to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Children from schools across the town took part in the competition to design the flowerbed in Valley Gardens.

Jack Baier’s winning entry of more than 3,300 plants won the top award.

At the ceremony, year 7 Jack was presented with the Hammond Mann Trophy by former Yorkshire Agricultural Society chief executive Nigel Pulling.

The evening was attended by more than 60 guests, including the mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Victoria Oldham, and was the culmination of Harrogate BID’s Floral Summer of Celebration.

Jack’s colourful, winning design

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Other winners on the night included Helen James Flowers, Horticap, the White Hart Hotel, and Vivido.

To create the flowerbed, Harrogate Borough Council’s park and gardens team planted 800 Super Olympia Pink Begonias, 1,100 Super Olympia Red Begonias, 650 Non-Stop Yellow Begonias and 800 Mambo Mid Blue Petunias.

Pam Grant, Harrogate in Bloom President, said:

“We were delighted with the response to this particular competition category, and congratulate Jack on his winning design.

“Once translated from paper to flowerbed, it looked absolutely stunning, and was a fitting floral tribute to honour our dearly departed Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”