After a month-long heatwave it’s easy to forget just what a terrible spring we had. ‘The Beast from the East’ caused havoc for many, including members of the Cheltenham Horticultural Society who had to cancel their spring show. Four months on from those snow showers and freezing temperatures, the 151 members of the Cheltenham Horticultural Society are looking forward to their annual summer show at the Pittville Pump Room on 19th August.

The weather has gone from one extreme to the other, and after a prolonged period of intense sunshine and heat, plants and flowers are now ready for the exhibition at the summer show. “This year’s weather has been very challenging for us gardeners,” said Maggie Pointing, who has been a member of the society for seven years. “Our Summer Show is a great opportunity for people to come and look at a wonderful collection of plants and flowers. There’s a lot of the plants that are available to be purchased and there are several competitions that are always closely contested,” added Maggie.

As well as competitions to decide the best plants and flowers there are also other contests open to keen photographers and artists. Maggie continued: “There’s competitions for the best floral photograph, floral art and cookery competitions. Some of the competitions are members only events but there are also others that are open to the public.

“There will also be several stalls selling crafts, so it promises to be a really great day. Anyone who has even the slightest interest in gardening should pop along, it’s a great event with plenty of gardeners who are always willing to pass on a few handy tips.

“Our Summer Show is a day every member looks forward to. We’ve held it at the Pittville Pump Room for 75 years which is quite a nice milestone to have reached. At the latest count we had 151 members, we have monthly talks and meetings which are always great events. It’s nice to be able to share knowledge and learn new gardening tips from all the other members.”