FROM the rugged coastline to ancient abbeys, the North Yorkshire region has been encapsulated in an ambitious entry into The Chelsea Flower Show.

The Welcome to Yorkshire garden opened at the show on Monday and features a cliff, a beach with a gently lapping sea, a spectacular abbey ruin, and more than 3,000 coastal trees and plants.

Leeds-based garden designer Tracy Foster took inspiration from Yorkshire’s coastline for the beach scenery, adding the county’s iconic drystone walls and historic ruins to complete the vision.

And the garden is literally a slice of Yorkshire in Chelsea, with eight tonnes of Scarborough sand, 11 tonnes of Yorkshire chalkstone, nine tonnes of sandstone, and two tonnes of Flamborough pebbles transported to the captial to make up the garden.

At 36 square metres, the sea takes up around a third of the 20.5x10 metre garden and is powered by a bespoke movement creating machine.

Celebrities such as Dame Judi Dench, television presenter Kirsty Allsopp and comedian Jennifer Saunders are among the many who have flocked to enjoy the garden already.

Designer Ms Foster is delighted with the finished entry and said: “The Welcome to Yorkshire garden has been a joy to create, our county has a wealth of inspirational natural beauty, history and industry.

“The plants, buildings and landscape of Yorkshire are at the heart of the garden, and I’m delighted to be showcasing them on a world stage at RHS Chelsea.”