Tong Garden Centre near Bradford has announced a collaboration with TV and radio gardening expert and award-winning garden designer Matthew Wilson.

Tong is the first centre in the North of England to host the new Gardening School  run by the ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ panellist.

Wilson, former curator of RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate and respected writer, broadcaster and lecturer, will mix practical with theory in the half-day courses that will launch next spring.

During the first workshop, Planning Perfect Planting, which takes place on Tuesday 24 April, he will share his knowledge and reveal tricks of the trade including how to choose the right plants for the right places; how to balance structural planting with flowering and textural plants and how to create year-round interest and seasonal showstoppers.

The second workshop, on Tuesday 15 May, is a pruning masterclass. which will include advice on the best pruning kit and how to look after it; what, when and how to prune; how to achieve special effects; giving old plants a new lease of life and de-mystifying rose pruning.

Tong GC’s marketing manager Jo Dales said: “We are a garden centre first and foremost and are very proud to partner with Matthew for the Gardening School. Matthew opened Tong's new plantaria in 2016 and we're looking forward to working with him again and benefitting from his extensive horticultural experience.”

Wilson said: “I've designed these workshops because so many people ask me what to plant and how to prune. These sessions will be informative, and filled with techniques to give people the confidence and knowledge to do all of this, irrespective of the size of their garden."

Tickets for the three-hour workshops will cost £55