 | |
| Abbreviation | RHS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 7 March 1804; 221 years ago (1804-03-07) (as Horticultural Society of London) |
| Type | Registered charity |
| Purpose | Promotegardening andhorticulture |
| Headquarters | London,SW1 |
Region served | United Kingdom |
| Membership | 609,000+ (2024)[1] |
President | Keith Weed |
| Budget | 2024/25 income: £124.8m[1] |
| Website | www |
TheRoyal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London,[2][3] is the UK's leadinggardening charity.[4][5][2]
The RHS promoteshorticulture through its five gardens atWisley (Surrey),Hyde Hall (Essex),Harlow Carr (North Yorkshire),Rosemoor (Devon) andBridgewater (Greater Manchester); flower shows including theChelsea Flower Show,Hampton Court Palace Flower Show,Tatton Park Flower Show and Cardiff Flower Show; community gardening schemes; Britain in Bloom and a vast educational programme. It also supports training for professional and amateur gardeners. As of 2023[update] the president wasKeith Weed and the director general was Clare Matterson CBE.[6]
The creation of a British horticultural society was suggested byJohn Wedgwood (son ofJosiah Wedgwood) in 1800. His aims were fairly modest: he wanted to hold regular meetings, allowing the society's members the opportunity to present papers on their horticultural activities and discoveries, to encourage discussion of them, and to publish the results. The society would also award prizes for gardening achievements.
Wedgwood discussed the idea with his friends, but it was four years before the first meeting, of seven men, took place, on 7 March 1804 atHatchards bookshop inPiccadilly, London. Wedgwood was chairman; also present wereWilliam Townsend Aiton (successor to his father,William Aiton, as Superintendent ofKew Gardens), SirJoseph Banks (President of theRoyal Society),James Dickson (a nurseryman),William Forsyth (Superintendent of the gardens ofSt. James's Palace andKensington Palace),Charles Francis Greville (aLord of the Admiralty) andRichard Anthony Salisbury, who became the Secretary of the new society.[7]
Banks proposed his friendThomas Andrew Knight for membership. The proposal was accepted, despite Knight's ongoing feud with Forsyth over a plaster for healing tree wounds which Forsyth was developing. Knight was president of the society from 1811 to 1838, and developed the society's aims and objectives to include a programme of practical research into fruit-breeding.[8]
In 2009 more than 363,000 people were members of the society, and the number increased to more than 414,000 in 2013[2] and to 525,105 by 2019.[9] Membership and fellowship of the society were previously decided by election, but are now by financial contribution. Fellows are supporters "contributing a suggested £5,000 per annum" (as of 2022).[10][11]
Members and Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society are entitled to use thepost-nominal lettersMRHS[12] andFRHS, respectively.[13]
| Financial year | Number of members |
|---|---|
| 2013/14[2] | 414,699 |
| 2014/15[14] | 428,472 |
| 2015/16[15] | 448,977 |
| 2016/17[16] | 472,157 |
| 2017/18[17] | 490,205 |
| 2018/19[18] | 502,666 |
| 2019/20[9] | 525,105 |
| 2020/21[19] | 521,132 |
| 2021/22[20] | 603,458 |
| 2022/23[21] | 625,000≈ |
| 2023/24[22] | 626,000≈ |
| 2024/25[23] | 609,000≈ |
The Royal Horticultural Society's five major gardens inEngland are:Wisley Garden, nearWisley inSurrey;Rosemoor Garden inDevon;Hyde Hall inEssex;Harlow Carr inHarrogate,North Yorkshire and RHS Garden, Bridgewater inWorsley,Greater Manchester.
The society's first garden was inKensington, from 1818 to 1822. In 1820 the society leased some ofHugh Ronalds' nursery ground at LittleEaling to set up an experimental garden,[24] but the next year part of theDuke of Devonshire's estate atChiswick was obtained. In 1823 it employedJoseph Paxton there. From 1827 the society heldfêtes at the Chiswick garden, and from 1833, shows with competitive classes for flowers and vegetables. In 1861 the RHS (as it had now become) developed a new garden atSouth Kensington on land leased from theRoyal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (theScience Museum,Imperial College and theRoyal College of Music now occupy the site), but it was closed in 1882.[25] The Chiswick garden was maintained until 1903–1904, by which time Sir Thomas Hanbury had bought the garden at Wisley and presented it to the RHS.
RHS Garden Wisley is thus the society's oldest garden. Rosemoor came next, presented byLady Anne Berry in 1988. Hyde Hall was given to the RHS in 1993 by its owners Dick and Helen Robinson. Dick Robinson was also the owner of theHarry Smith Collection which was based at Hyde Hall. Then came Harlow Carr, acquired by the merger of the Northern Horticultural Society with the RHS in 2001. It had been the Northern Horticultural Society's trial ground and display garden since they bought it in 1949. In 2013, more than 1.63 million people visited the four gardens.[2]
In 2015 the RHS announced plans for a fifth garden atWorsley New Hall, Greater Manchester, under the nameRHS Garden Bridgewater.[26] The garden opened in May 2021.[27]
The RHS is well known for its annual flower shows which take place across the UK. The most famous of these shows is the RHSChelsea Flower Show, visited by people from across the world. This was followed by theHampton Court Palace Flower Show (which the RHS took over in 1993) and RHSTatton Park Flower Show inCheshire (since 1999). In 2024 the line up expanded to include the Malvern Spring Festival, Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show, Garden Rosemoor Flower Show and the first RHS Urban Show[28][29]In 2025 the introduced the first RHS Flower show atWentworth Woodhouse.
The society is also closely involved with BBC Gardeners' World Live held annually at the BirminghamNational Exhibition Centre.[30]
The RHS is custodian of theLindley Library, housed within its headquarters at 80Vincent Square, London, and in branches at each of its four gardens. The library is based upon the book collection ofJohn Lindley.[7]
The RHS Herbarium has its own image library (collection) consisting of more than 3,300 original watercolours, approximately 30,000 colour slides and a rapidly increasing number of digital images. Although most of the images have been supplied by photographers commissioned by the RHS, the archive includes a substantial number of slides from theHarry Smith Collection andPlant Heritage National Plant Collection holders.[31]
The libraries in each of the gardens are open to all visitors. RHS members can borrow books from the Lindley London, as well as the libraries atWisley Garden andHarlow Carr Garden.[32]
In 2002, the RHS took over the administration of theBritain in Bloom competition from the Tidy Britain Group (formerly and subsequentlyKeep Britain Tidy).[33] In 2010, the society launched 'It's your neighbourhood', a campaign to encourage people to get involved in horticulture for the benefit of their community. In 2014, 'Britain in Bloom' celebrated its 50th anniversary.[33]
The RHS runs formal courses for professional and amateur gardeners and horticulturalists and also validates qualifications gained elsewhere (e.g. atKew Botanic Gardens).[34]
The RHS Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture aims to develop essential horticultural skills and to provide a foundation for further RHS practical qualifications at Levels 2 and 3. It is aimed at anyone who has an interest in plants and gardening.[34]
Level 2 qualifications provide a basis for entry into professional horticulture, support career development for existing horticultural workers or can provide a foundation for further learning or training. There are separate theoretical- and practical-based qualifications at this Level and the RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture combines the theoretical- and practical-based qualifications.[34][4]
Level 3 qualifications allow specialisation in the candidate's area of interest. They can offer proficiency for those looking for employment in horticulture, they can support further career and professional development for those already working in the field, or they can provide a basis for continued learning or training. As for Level 2, there are theoretical- and practical-based qualifications at Level 3 and a Diploma that combines both.[34]
The Master of Horticulture (RHS) Award is the society's most prestigious professional horticultural qualification. It is of degree level and it is intended for horticultural professionals. The course allows for flexible study over a period of three years or more.[34]
The RHS Campaign for School Gardening provides online inspiration, resources and advice to its members. With the help of teachers, volunteers and other school-gardening champions, they support millions of students in the UK, giving them the opportunity to grow plants, food and develop life skills.[2]
The society honours certain British persons who are deemed by its council to be deserving of special recognition in the field of horticulture with theVictoria Medal of Honour, established in 1897. There are only 63 holders of this medal at any time, one for every year of the reign ofQueen Victoria.[35] Since 2023, the society has handed out theElizabeth Medal of Honour, for which there could be only 70 holders at any time, one for every year of the reign ofQueen Elizabeth II.[36] Thus, neither of the aforementioned medals are awarded every year
Other awards bestowed by the society include the Associate of Honour (established in 1930) where the number does not exceed 100 at any time (unless they also hold the Victoria Medal of Honour).[37] As of 2022 there were also the Harlow Carr Medal (for significant contribution to horticulture in the north of England), Reginald Cory Memorial Cup (for introducing new hybrid plants developed from existing garden plants), Community Award (for long-term contribution tocommunity gardening) and the Roy Lancaster Award (for exceptional contribution by those under 35 years old).[35] Medals issued by the society earlier in its history have included the Banksian, Knightian and Lindley medals, named after early officers of the society, as well as Honorary Fellowships.
TheVeitch Memorial Medal, named afterJames Veitch, is awarded annually to persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement of the science and practice of horticulture.
The society awards Gold, Silver-gilt, Silver and Bronze medals to exhibitors at its Flower Shows.[38]
TheAward of Garden Merit, or AGM, is the principal award made to garden plants by the society after a period of assessment by the appropriate committees of the society. Awards are made annually after plant trials.
Older books may contain references to the following awards, which were based mainly on flower or fruit quality[39] (but which are not referred to in current (2014) RHS websites and reports):
The society published its proceedings as theTransactions of the Horticultural Society of London from 1807 to 1848. The society has also published a journal since 1846. It was initially known as theJournal of the Horticultural Society of London (1846–1855), thenProceedings of the Horticultural Society of London (1859–1860) and thenProceedings of the Royal Horticultural Society (1861–1869).
Its main periodical for members was continued as theJournal of the Royal Horticultural Society (1866–1975).[3] Since 1975 this monthly publication has been entitledThe Garden. The RHS also publishesThe Plant Review four times a year andThe Orchid Review annually, and it publishedHanburyana, an annual publication dedicated to horticulturaltaxonomy, from 2006 to 2013.[3][40][41]
Since the establishment of International Registration Authorities for plants in 1955 the RHS has acted as Registrar for certain groups of cultivated plants. It is now Registrar for nine categories –conifers,clematis,daffodils,dahlias,delphiniums,dianthus,lilies,orchids[42] andrhododendrons. It publishes The International Orchid Register, an extensive listing of orchid hybrids,[43] and theEncyclopedia of Conifers, which was published in 2012.[44]
The RHS publishes many horticulture and gardening books, including:
