ASPIRING young gardeners have enjoyed a professional horticultural masterclass led by a Blue Peter gardener.

Young people from Castlemorton CofE Primary School and The Elms, Colwall, descended on the Three Counties Showground, in Malvern, for a series of workshops by gardener Chris Collins aimed at helping them put together the competitive show gardens they are building for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival.

This year children from pre-school age to teenagers in year 13 from a record 21 schools will create gardens on the theme 'a great moment in history' for the festival.

It is the only RHS show in the UK that has a collection of show gardens designed and built entirely by school children.

Among those also taking part in the show are pupils from Nunnery Wood High School, Stanley Road Primary School and Tudor Grange Academy, all in Worcester, Abberley Parochial VC Primary School, Abberley and St Egwin’s Middle School, Evesham.

Students from Pershore College, Pershore and Queen Elizabeth Humanities College, Bromyard will also create gardens.

It will take approximately three weeks to build the gardens, starting in April, for the four-day show which runs from Thursday, May 8 until Sunday, May 11 and should attract around 90,000 visitors.

Sue Verdeyen, education officer for the Three Counties Showground, said: “At RHS Malvern, we are passionate about inspiring young people to fall in love with gardening and design.

"We are very proud to be the only RHS show that has a project specifically for schools.

"It’s a great opportunity for the children to get some hands on experience into the design, horticultural and construction industries.

“These youngsters are involved in every aspect of creating their gardens; the design, the sowing, the growing of their own plants and the hard landscaping.

"They have some great ideas and we can’t wait to see how the gardens are going to take shape.”