FLOWER power will arrive on Teesside at the weekend.

People are invited to join Young Rangers plant scarce and unusual wildflowers in a wetland conservation meadow at Middlesbrough's Stewart Park, tomorrow.

The Globeflower and the pink Ragged Robin will be among the wildflowers planted to increase the diversity of plant life in the meadow and stimulate people's interest in the range of wetland plants to be found in the area.

The plants have been grown organically by the Wildflower Ark project set up to investigate, conserve and increase numbers of endangered plants, found in the Tees Valley.

The Ark's data base includes the locally rare Waterpurslane, a tiny purple petalled annual.

Staff only found their third specimen of the plant last year.

People are also invited to get their hands dirty.

Training sessions are being held at a Middlesbrough community centre on the skills of making hanging baskets.

It is part of a bid to brighten up the streets of Newport, West Lane and Whinney Banks with colour. The training session at St Cuthbert's Youth and Community Centre has been organised for people living in those areas.

The area is also at the centre of a £52m facelift.

Joan Ford, chairwoman of the West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust, said: "The hanging basket training is a great way to get people active, green up the streets and involved local people in brightening up their neighbourhoods.''