The Bard said a rose by any other name would smell so sweet – and the flower show this year proved that any flower could help to express Shakespeare’s work.

East Anglian Daily Times: Creations at the flower show at the Suffolk Show 2016.Creations at the flower show at the Suffolk Show 2016. (Image: Archant)

To mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death, the show had a Shakespearean theme with each class of competition taking a play title or one of his best-known lines as inspiration.

From Much Ado About Nothing to The Tempest there were classes covering all areas of his work – including Double, Double Toil and Trouble from Macbeth and Chaos is Come Again from Othello.

The classes attracted scores of entries that were both inventive and colourful.

The overall winner from the 12 flower show classes was Valerie Phillips with her colourful interpretation of “Chaos is Come Again” – although all the entries were very impressive.

The flower show is always one of the highlights of the show, attracting a good crowd – not only are the exhibits an attraction, but there is also the opportunity to buy plants for homes or gardens.

The display of cacti and succulents is always very popular at the show – although this year the need for plants that do not need water was not so clear!

There is no shortage of inspiration for gardeners however large or small their own patch of ground is.

This year the flower show is once again sponsored by Suffolk furniture and homeware retailer Glasswells and linked with their Lifestyle Pavilion showing off bright ideas to make any home stand out.

As well as things to grow in the garden, it was not difficult to find other inspiration for the outdoors – from sculptures of favourite animals to hot tubs. In the flower and garden area of the Suffolk Show there really is something to attract everyone.