RECORD crowds flooded through the turnstiles at the Three Counties Showground to enjoy Malvern's latest Spring Gardening Show.

Ninety-three thousand visitors from across the country marvelled at prestigious show gardens, bought plants from leading nurseries and picked up hints and tips from green-fingered specialists during the three-day show, which ran from Friday to Sunday.

Sharon Gilbert, spokesman for the Three Counties Agricultural Society, said: "It's going from strength to strength. We were hoping to match last year's record crowd of 88,000, so we're really, really pleased to go beyond that.

"We're happy the standard has been upheld too. We had our first gold medals for show gardens last year, we've managed to keep that going this year with two more.

"We've always known that it's a quality show but it takes a while for the word to spread.

"The TV coverage is a great boost but we've also got very loyal visitors who come back every year.

"It's good for Malvern as a town because all the hotels were heaving and people get to know what's here - they find out you don't have to be in London to visit a good gardening show."

Mrs Gilbert said the show's growing success was the result of a number of factors.

"This kind of success doesn't happen overnight. It's a reflection of achievements over a number of years that have got us to where we are today."

Two show gardens received prestigious gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society, which supports the event. More than 30 nurseries picked up gold medals for their plants and flowers and crowds packed the Malvern Floral Marquee to buy flowers, shrubs and bulbs from the winners.

Around 120 craftspeople and food makers from around the country filled Wye Hall, while celebrity gardeners, including Chris Beardshaw and Joe Swift, from Gardener's World, and Nigel Colborn, a regular panellist from Gardener's Question Time, gave enthusiasts advice.