THE SNOWDROPS are out in their full glory, crocuses are bringing their cheery display of colour to gardens, village greens and verges while the daffodils are shooting up ready to make their appearance soon. The bulk of winter has passed and spring is on its way.

Gardeners will be turning their attention to pruning certain winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering, dividing bulbs, preparing vegetable seed beds and cutting back evergreen hedges among other things.

For those keen gardeners and others, who like to admire gardens but are not confident with a spade or secateurs, the Malvern Spring Festival offers a chance to be inspired by some new garden designs as well as buy any extra equipment and plants or simply appreciate the glorious plant exhibits.

There are also 10 show gardens created by leading designers which are expected to draw thousands of visitors.

Among them are two with a strong local flavour. Called Memories of Service, this one is created by Martyn Wilson and it marks the centenary of the RAF. It includes topiary balls as a nod to the radar at the former RAF Defford near Pershore.

It will also feature four elliptical pathways to represent the blades of Spitfire and Hurricane planes while a sculpture made from turbine blades will form the centrepiece. This will be surrounded by hedges representing linear vapour trails. Perennial plants will reflect the colours of RAF dress and tie. Other features will be included to represent the RAF’s 100-year history and its future.

Olivia Kirk has focused on Worcester’s Royal Porcelain works for her garden design. The factory opened in 1751 but, after a heavily criticised showing at the Great Exhibition in its centenary year, the business started to boom under the ownership of Richard William Binns and William Henry Kerr from 1852.

Ceramics expert and world authority on Worcester Royal Porcelain Henry Sandon said: “The Great Exhibition was disastrous for Worcester Royal Porcelain. The pieces were heavily criticised for their style because people in London wanted the more modern Victorian designs.

“All the directors left in disgrace. Things started to improve in 1852 when it was acquired by two men – Kerr and Binns – who were brilliant. It restarted everything.”

Olivia Kirk’s garden is called Royal Porcelain Works Ltd: The Collectors’ Garden and celebrates the company’s revival and the Victorian heyday as well as the current refurbishment which will provide a performing arts space as well as the museum.

The garden design uses modern plants and materials with planting introduced into the UK during the 1800s. Set in a series of exhibition spaces, plinths are used throughout the garden showing examples of Royal Worcester Percelain under glass bell jars and modern planting styles are displayed in bespoke terrariums.

Other designs include the Urban Oasis by Mark Draper, which is a contemporary garden designed for a young, trendy professional looking for a space to switch off at the end of the day. It offers a funky, modern-looking space with movement and pings of colour throughout the design.

The Perfumer’s Garden by Ruth Gwynn and Alan Williams has been inspired by The Great Exhibition of 1851 and the way exhibitors showed off their products from raw material through to finished product.

Here, in this whimsical shop, the designer imagines a process where the perfumer collects his scents from plants behind his shop through funnels and tubes and turns them into bottles of beautiful fragrances. A wide range of flowers and herbs will include lilies, jasmine, geranium, citron, lavender, sage, rosemary, eucalyptus and mint.

Three Simon Gudgeon sculptures feature in The Spirit Of The Woods by Peter Dowle which explores a spiritual connection with nature. A serene face in a stone grotto looks over a small pool surrounded with moss and ferns against a backdrop of oak woodland with the Malvern Hills behind.

A ballerina made from more than 1,000 copper leaves dances in the breeze and The Whispering Spirit invites visitors to listen to her lips and hear an echo of water. It creates a contemplative place to relax in before it moves to Kew Gardens after the show.

The Garden In the Egg by Jonas Egger is the world’s first garden inside a 3.5m metal egg. Inspired by Faberge eggs, it opens to music, light, fog and water effects and then closes again.

Other gardens include The Dew Pond by Christian Dowle which was inspired by the lore and romanticism around dew ponds. Christain has created a timber-clad garden room with a green solar panel roof designed to encourage more wildlife and offers a space for reading, writing and craftwork. Fruit trees including Herefordshire Russet reflect the importance of gardens as a productive space.

Billy’s Cave by Villaggio Verde features a cave, complete with natural spring, goat paddock and is lined with old olive trees. Visitors will be transported into the perfect place for a herder to manage and spend time with his goats. The cave offers a cool shelter and place to store essential equipment.

Jonathan Bishop’s From Over the Fence features wooden sculptures of a stag and two deer by James Doran-Webb. They’re part of a scene that shows wildlife wandering into a garden via a broken fence. After the show the animals, made from driftwood, will be trotting along to RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Finally the home builder Bovis Homes is presenting a garden by Dan Ryan which is based on a new home in its Cotswolds housing development.

It has a modern feel with sandstone paving, Cotswold stone walling, built-in seating and is surrounded by Pleached Hornbeams for a feeling of privacy. A kinetic Corten steel magnolia leaf sculpture will add movement to the garden along with a selection of specially chosen grasses.

Head of show Diana Walton, said: “The Show Gardens is one of the most popular destinations at the festival and this year we have a wonderful range of designs to showcase.

"Appealing to the senses, The Perfumer’s Garden is sure to delight and we’re looking forward to

welcoming the lively goats for Billy’s Cave, which we just know visitors are going to love.

“Looking through the designs fill me with excitement – we can’t wait to see them brought to life. Visitors can certainly expect to be wowed this year.”

The 33rd RHS Malvern Spring Festival runs from Thursday May 10 to Sunday May 13 at the Three Counties Showground.