A MAJOR date on the horticultural calender takes place this weekend with Harrogate Autumn Flower Show.

One of the biggest flower shows in the country opens On Friday, September 16 at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Attracting visitors and exhibitors from across the country, the three-day event will have a giant vegetable show, a fruit show, floral displays and classes, flower arranging demonstrations and food and craft marquees among other attractions.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS), the charity which runs the Harrogate flower shows.

To mark the occasion a master gardener class has been launched to find all-round horticultural excellence in growing flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables.

Show director Martin Fish said: "The NEHS has been showcasing the very best in horticulture for 100 years, we continually look for new exhibits to inspire our visitors and new ways to promote horticulture across the UK.

"The master class will give gardeners the opportunity to demonstrate their skill across a broader range of plants and produce, rather than specialising in just one or two. While the giant vegetables should literally add a spectacular new dimension to the harvest celebration for our visitors to enjoy."

There will be tips and advice on gardening from the Kitchen Garden Live team, as well as demonstrations on turning homegrown produce into delicious meals in the Cookery Theatre.

Television chef Rosemary Shrager, who runs the Cookery School at Swinton Park Hotel, near Masham will be giving a cookery demo on Friday afternoon and there will be a ready, steady, cook-style contest with some of the region’s most promising young chefs throughout the three days.