‘A Garden for Gathering’ by Melissa Morton Garden & Landscape Design will be one of just six show gardens at the popular event, which takes place from 24-27 April at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, attracting over 40,000 visitors over four days.
Melissa Morton, an APL-accredited designer member whose business celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, explains: “I was delighted to be asked to design the APL’s show garden. At just 9m x 6m this is a brilliant opportunity to show what can be achieved in a relatively small space, a challenge faced by many of my clients.
“The garden’s spatial layout is based on the Golden Section, a principle that enhances balance, harmony, and flow - particularly valuable in small gardens where achieving spaciousness can be challenging. By using this proportion, we created a visually pleasing composition that feels ordered and effortless to navigate.”
Sustainability is at the heart of Melissa’s practice and her material choices for the show garden started with a commitment to source locally. Inspiration was taken from Yorkshire’s landscape with materials selected that emulate local stone. The final choices add texture and colour, with paving, walling, and gravel harmonising through buff and grey tones.
Planting for ‘A Garden for Gathering’ focuses on what looks good now. Evergreens provide essential structure, anchoring the space, while large specimens will create the illusion of maturity, visually expanding the garden and helping visitors envision how their own spaces could evolve over time.
Show visitors can also discuss their own garden queries with Melissa and APL representatives at the APL design clinic at ‘A Garden for Gathering’ during the show.
‘A Garden for Gathering’ is very much a Yorkshire collaboration with the soft and hard landscaping for the show garden handled by fellow APL member and Harrogate Spring Show build veterans, J Paxman Landscapes. A team from the Huddersfield-based business will install the paving, walling, fencing, planting and water features, with the build beginning just three days before the show opens, following several weeks of planning.
Simon Abbott, APL regional manager, said: “Working with professionals like Melissa and the team from Paxman Landscapes highlights the quality craftsmanship, professionalism, and peace of mind that you’re guaranteed when you work with an APL member. We can’t wait to welcome show visitors to ‘A Garden for Gathering’ later this month.”
Melissa, who has recently been accredited by The Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD), making her a registered member of the professional association, has spent over ten years building up her expertise in garden and planting design. Her qualifications include horticulture (level 2 & level 3), and ongoing garden design training after a year studying Landscape Architecture at Leeds Beckett University.
The APL’s Garden for Gathering is sponsored by Bradstone (paving and walling) and JA Jones (plant nursery).
Justin Paxman, managing director, Paxman Landscapes, said: “It’s great to be asked to take on another show build with the APL at Harrogate after our earlier successes at the event. Equally brilliant is the chance to be working alongside Melissa, bringing her designs to life. These events are always a fantastic experience, from the earliest collaboration to the finished reveal as the show stories unfold.”
The show gardens at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show are judged by a panel of experts, including members of the Guild of Horticultural Judges. The twice-yearly Harrogate Flower Show is staged by the North of England Horticultural Society.