VIDEO: Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2015

Alistair Christie aged 3 from Sherburn in Elmet looks at the Tulips on show (SH10014009k).Picture by Simon Hulme

The Dig for Victory tribute, created by the Leeds & District Allotment Gardeners’ Federation, includes dolly tubs, an Anderson shelter and chicken run. The display celebrates the work of an army of gardeners mobilised to help feed a nation under siege during the conflict.

Show Director Nick Smith said: “British allotment gardeners grew an estimated three million tons of produce during the war on patches of land in every corner of the country. They came from all walks of life and accounted for something like 10 per cent of all the food eaten during the war – that is an incredible achievement and we are delighted to be able to pay tribute to their unique contribution to the victory celebrated on VE Day.”

Other VE Day activities include plant nursery displays based on the victory speech, ‘This is Your Hour’. There will also be a special tribute to the wartime statesman by North Yorkshire florist Lucy Hutton Smith, who will create a portrait of Churchill entirely in flowers.

Nick Smith added: “We have a fantastic line up of experts across the show.

“There is an unrivalled amount of experience and expertise available from our demonstrators and our exhibitors – if you are looking for gardening answers, this is the place to find them!”