Climate proves a challenge for RHS Sandringham
Clare Worden/BBCLocal nurseries, gardeners and community groups have found themselves battling the hot temperatures to ensure perfect displays for the first RHS horticultural show to be held in Norfolk.
The event on the Sandringham Estate was visited by the King yesterday and will be held on the site once every three years.
It takes the place of the traditional flower show - which has been held at Sandringham since 1881.
Gold medal winner Michaela Boggis, from Jelly Cottage Nursery in Gresham, said she had been constantly watering and shading her plants under trees to make sure they were ready.
Clare Worden/BBCNorfolk is currently experiencing a prolonged dry spell with restrictions on water usage which has made preparing plants for the show challenging.
Anglian Water said introducing a temporary hosepipe ban had been "a very difficult decision", but it was necessary to protect customer supplies as well as "our region's precious environment".
Sam Outing was creating his first RHS garden at Sandringham in one of the long borders.
He said: "The garden is just a really good low-maintenance biodiversity-rich garden.
"I've got Pinus Pioneer, this stone pine as my focal tree, some other beautiful pine species.
"The really standout perennial is Verbena Bampton with this wonderful rich purple texture, colour - it's got a lovely form.
"Bees and pollinators love it, we even had a hummingbird hawk moth here this morning."
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Clare Worden/BBCCarl Harder from Norfolk Plant Heritage said members had pulled out all the stops to prepare their plants for the show.
"It's been really, really hard," he said.
"As everyone knows it's been so hot over the last three to four months and the lack of rain means things have been going over so quickly.
"The collection holders - they've just done amazingly."
Plant Heritage is a national charity which maintains a living library of different plants and flowers many of which are not regularly grown.
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