SOME of the country’s top growers of sweet peas are about to converge on North Yorkshire for a major show celebrating the plant’s beauty and fragrance.

The National Sweet Pea Show will be held at the RHS Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate on July 9 and 10, between 10am and 4pm daily.

The show is run by the National Sweet Pea Society and will see a mix of growers entering in up to 70 classes. Judging will take place on Saturday morning and visitors will be able to view the prized blooms from 10am onwards.

After the judging takes place, visitors will be able to enjoy the sights and scents of the display, made up of hundreds of vases of sweet pea blooms from a wide range of cultivars. The awards presentation will take place at 2pm on the same day.

Organiser Bob Rishworth said: “The setting up and staging of the show is no small undertaking.

“Growers come from all corners of the UK, most travelling overnight, and spend many hours creating displays, but the hard work is all worthwhile when you see the resulting presentation vases filling the place with beautiful blooms and heavenly scents.”

The National Sweet Pea Society will set up an advisory stand and display, helping visitors with questions and advice about growing and exhibiting. Surplus blooms and seeds will also be available to buy, allowing visitors to take home a piece of the show.

Normal garden admission applies. For more information, visit rhs.org.uk/harlowcarrwhatson or call 01423-565418.