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Roots and blooms have brought delight to showgoers as gardeners put their fruits of their labour on display.

Hartlepool Horticultural Show 2019 brought together produce and flowers from 41 adult competitors across 109 classes, with 10 youngsters entering into the six children’s classes.

The entries have been on display at the Rift House Recreation Ground on Saturday, August 17 and into Sunday, August 18, with growers from as far afield as Chesterfield, Northumberland and Bolton joining locals in putting goods on show at the event, which has a history stretching back around 100 years.

Phil Olney, who has taken over the running of the show from Tom Hammond and is also part of the northern committee of the National Dahlia Society, said the traditional event continues to thrive thanks to the support of enthusiasts.

Hartlepool Horticultural Show, hosted at Rift House Recreation Ground, brought together produce including flowers, fruit, vegetables and home crafts among others.

“It’s been a very trying year because of an invasion of Swedish moths which has devastated a lot of brassica crops,” he said.

“The show looks excellent, and of course the show is made better by having the northern group of the British Gladioli Society here, which brings in exhibitors to the other sections as well.

“The winners themselves really appreciate the feedback that they get.

“This is really the beginning of the show season, so it’s a big test of how good their year of produce is going to be for the bigger shows.

Hartlepool Horticultural Show has also featured a programme of entertainment.

“We want to thank the exhibitors for all their work, as without them, we’d have an empty tent.”

The overall show winner was Barry Stainsby with his chrysanthemums.

The show is backed by Hartlepool Borough Council and the Hartlepool and District and Hartlepool and District Fuchsia and Pelargonium Society, with the British Gladioli Society drawing in many of the competitors.

In addition to the flower sections, which included dahlias, roses, gladioli, chrysanthemums, sweet peas, fuchsias, pelargoniums and carnations, a range of vegetables including potatoes, cauliflower, onions, carrots, leeks, celery, lettuce, turnips, swedes, rhubarb, peas and beans, fruit including tomatoes were put on show.

Growers from across the north submitted their entries into the display.

There was also a home craft section, a flower arranging display and a competition for children, which put their art and growing skills to the test, with a programme of entertainment running alongside the horticulture show.

Grassroots growers make Hartlepool's horticultural show bloom with colour