Spectacular celebration of season at Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

Organised by the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS), the show – on this year from from Friday September 19 to Sunday September 21 – attracts more than 30,000 visitors.

Among the seasonal exhibits, vibrant displays of dahlias, pelargoniums and geraniums will dazzle in the Grand Floral Pavilion as gardeners seek inspiration for their own gardens.

The National Dahlia Society has exhibited at the show for many decades, last year winning Best Society in Show.

Visitors in September will be treated to a magnificent display of the showy flowers from 78 growers across the country, and there are 98 competitive classes as part of the society’s National Northern Show Championships.

Designed by award-winning dahlia grower Tracey Parkinson, the society’s stand has been nine months in the planning. Dahlia blooms are contributed by individual growers and collected a few days ahead of the show.

In the weeks before the show, Ian Ledger – secretary to the northern committee of the National Dahlia Society – will be disbudding his plants to delay flowering and produce perfect blooms, supporting the stems from the wind and feeding with a high potash feed in August, as well as spraying to protect against aphids and earwigs.

Ian said: “Of course, the one thing we can’t control is the weather.

"We just have to hope for no frost the night before the show when all of the blooms are tucked up in the floral pavilion.”

The award-winning Yorkshire Pelargonium and Geranium Society is also returning to the Harrogate Autumn Flower show.

Formed 20 years ago, the society is run by volunteers and exhibits its plants at shows across the region and beyond.

In keeping with its Newby Hall setting, the society’s show feature was inspired by the kitchen garden at Burton Agnes Hall.

The display depicts a Victorian walled garden complete with greenhouse, wildflower area and vegetable garden, set against a walled backdrop with an arched vista through to a larger garden.

Malton-based volunteer Roger Burnett said the society had teamed up with Thixendale-based Richard Gibson of Wold Wire Sculptures who is producing wire sculptures of a gardener hoeing in the plot, as well as the obligatory rabbit feeding off the greens, while a barn owl is seen hunting among the wildflowers.

The walled backdrop is printed by Don French signs of Seamer.

If the feature proves popular, the team is already planning a similar display for the 2026 Harrogate Spring Flower show.

With a family focus, this year’s show is set to inspire the next generation of growers with an engaging raft of new children’s hands-on activities, as well as its trademark spectacular floral displays, awe-inspiring fruit and vegetable competitions, expert talks and live demonstrations.

Show highlights include the magnificent floral displays in the Grand Floral Pavilion where visitors can enjoy seasonal displays from the UK’s best growers, nurseries and specialist plant societies, including the National Chrysanthemum Northern Championships.

The Incredible Edible Pavilion will showcase the pick of this year’s harvest, from the popular NEHS Giant Veg competition and the National Onion Championship to the National Vegetable Society’s Northern Championships and classes for seasonal produce.

The show will see the return of the popular live stages where gardening experts share their passion, gardening advice and inspiring floristry demonstrations.

New for 2025 is the Makers Table stage with experts demonstrating how to make the most of the seasonal harvest, alongside the secrets to drying flowers and even homemade homecare hacks.

Show visitors can also enjoy ‘The Country House Weekend’ with stunning floral arrangements installed throughout Newby Hall’s magnificent Adam interiors.

Designed by internationally-celebrated floral designer Jonathan Moseley, the feature takes inspiration from Newby’s great history and its award-winning gardens, which this year won a coveted gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show.

Tickets are £23 per person available online from https://www.flowershow.org.uk/ until September 2, or £28 on the door.

Admission includes access to Newby’s gardens.