Special ribbon cutting events have been held at Notcutts Ashton Park Garden Centre in Manchester and Notcutts Victoria Garden Centre in Pontefract to celebrate the opening of two new display gardens, designed to inspire local gardeners with imaginative planting and landscaping ideas for their own outdoor spaces.

Caroline Notcutt, vice-chairman and great-granddaughter of Notcutts founder Roger Crompton Notcutt, cut the ribbon to officially open the new gardens at Notcutts Victoria and Notcutts Ashton Park, alongside local dignitaries, businesses, customers, and Notcutts colleagues.

Above: the garden opening at Notcutts Victoria Garden Centre at Pontefract.

The Notcutts Garden is a permanent display at both garden centres, providing ideas and inspiration for garden design and brightening borders all year round. Tranquillity is the theme of both gardens, which incorporate a large water feature, elegant pergola and a shaded seating area.

There are more than 300 plants of 30 different varieties featured in the gardens, including arum lilies and foxgloves in calming white and pastel pink shades. Dicksonia antarctica tree ferns produce masses of luscious dark-green fronds, while Betula alba birch trees make an impact with a majestic silver bark in winter. Rhododendron, azalea and a mix of hardy perennials add a vibrant burst of colour. Both gardens were designed and built by Notcutts' head of visual merchandising Marco de Jongh and plant buyer Stuart Andrews.

Caroline Notcutt said: “The gardens celebrate the best of what we do at Notcutts - with over 120 years' horticultural experience and 50 Gold medals won at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, we're pleased to bring our expertise in planting and garden design to our customers in Yorkshire and Manchester."

Kath Mitchell, general manager at Ashton Park, said: “We are very proud to unveil our glorious garden, which is a fantastic addition to the garden centre. I hope it will inspire customers with new and creative ideas to create a garden which is perfect for them."

James Wrycraft, GENERAL Manager at Victoria, said: “Thank you to all who joined us for our special garden opening event. It is now my pleasure to be able to nurture and grow the Notcutts Garden for all to enjoy and I hope it will become a key part of our local community."

Many of Notcutts' 18 garden centres have a special display garden.