THIRD time lucky has proved to be true for a Barnoldswick-based landscaping company after clinching a gold award at Harrogate Spring Flower Show.

Classic Landscapes, run by Andrew Wood, 37 and Jonathan Jackson, 38, has entered the show for the past three years, coming away with respectable silver awards on the first two occasions.

The partnership was established in 1985 and has firmly rooted itself among top landscaping companies in the North of England.

It is run with the assistance of three men and now has its own designer.

It was Jonathan who began the business in 1982 after working on general garden maintenance.

Then the landscaping and design side took off and he was joined by Andrew, originally of Harrop Fold, near Bolton-by-Bowland. He had previously run his own business of building and home maintenance - a complete change of direction for him as he originally trained as a chef.

At Harrogate Show the winning design, entitled Tranquility, was created over three-and-a-half days, the pair even working through the night.

It incorporated a natural stone waterfall nestling in a small glade filled with azaleas, rhododenrons, irises, roses and much, much more.

In fact, upwards of 800 plants were used to create the eye-catching creation, as well as more than four tonnes of stone, all of which had to be transported carefully to the show.

As well as building a waterfall the local standstone was used to build a low stone wall creating a pathway. This directed the feet to a secluded patio area underneath a hand-made oak pergola.

The sitting area created under the pergola was cleverly placed to direct the gaze towards the water feature - something which Classic Landscapes specialises in. The whole stand area eventually measured 23 feet by 15 feet.

Judging was based on the overall effect as well as the quality of the plants and flowers, and also for those used which are not already in season.

All the plants are grown by Andrew and Jonathan on their own nursery and are cultivated for their own use in landscaping projects.

"The garden had been a great hit in the preview and we were eagerly looking forward to the results of the judging. We were thrilled to get a gold award," said Andrew.

Exhibiting at such a prestigious show as Harrogate has greatly increased Classic Landscapes' clientele throughout the area and beyond.

Though Andrew and Jonathan do not usually enter other shows they are considering going to Chelsea in the future once they have gained the entry requirements. This could be achieved with a Best in Show prize at Harrogate and is something they will be aiming at in the future.

Since their return the pair have had no time to wallow in their glory with demand for their high class services keeping them constantly busy.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.