A LOCAL garden designer was delighted to meet Ilkley’s Alan Titchmarsh at the 70th RHS Harlow Carr Flower Show.

Helen Taylor, based in Burley-in-Wharfedale, who works as a garden designer in the Ilkley area, was invited to meet Alan at the opening celebrations at the end of June.

Alan, who also recently celebrated his 70th birthday gave a talk about his life in horticulture and put the final touches to a floral cake to open the show.

He said: “Harlow Carr has been special to me since the 1960s when I first visited it as a gardening apprentice. It has always occupied a special place in my heart as a garden close to where I grew up. I’m thrilled to be sharing a birthday with one of the country’s finest gardens.”

Helen was there having been recently appointed as the garden designer for the RHS Garden Harlow Carr. She is designing the entrance into the garden and the top of the site between the Bramhall Learning Centre and the Kitchen gardens.

Helen and her husband Ian Campbell, both landscape designers, are currently working on the draft master plan and the aim is to progress to the detailed design stage in the autumn, beginning with the Sun Border along the edge of the plant centre.

Like Alan, Helen is Yorkshire born and bred, from the Yorkshire east coast, Flamborough Head. From a young age she developed a love of flowers, the countryside and drawing and after reading Geography at Durham University trained to be a landscape designer at Sheffield University where she met her husband Ian.

The course had an emphasis on plant science and planting design, and they particularly enjoy designing and working with plants, recently setting up a sister company, Helen Taylor Plants and Planting to their company Helen Taylor Landscape and Garden Design.

Local business, schools, employees and guests were invited to produce a floral arrangement to display on the day to line the stepped approach into the garden, based on a theme of tea, cake or the 70th birthday.

There was a colourful display of lovely planted teapots and containers and a splendid tiered celebration cake made by celebrity floral designer, Jonathan Moseley.

Helen produced a box of floral macaroons, inspired by Bettys’ pretty pastel almond macaroons, using small chrysanthemum heads in the same array of colours.

Many guests were having official photos taken with Alan at the Flower Show. When Helen was directed forwards for the photo, Alan was heard asking, ‘who is this random person?’ to which Helen replied: “I’m not a random person, I’m a garden designer from Ilkley – like you!”

He was then very chatty and charming, asking where Helen lived and worked until he was whisked off to the next photo shoot.

Enquiries to helen@helentaylorgardendesign.co.uk