Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, London SW1 - geograph

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at

Wisley __NOTOC__ Wisley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England between Cobham and Woking, in the Borough of Guildford. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village and Ockham and ...

(Surrey),

Hyde Hall Hyde Hall is a US neoclassical country mansion designed by architect Philip Hooker for George Clarke (1768–1835), a wealthy landowner. The house was constructed between 1817 and 1834, and designed with English and American architectural featu ...

(Essex),

Harlow Carr Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper ...

(North Yorkshire), Rosemoor (Devon) and Bridgewater (Greater Manchester); flower shows including the

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the ''Great Spring Show'',Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural ...

, 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. the president was

Keith Weed Keith Charles Frederick Weed (born 1961) is Unilever's former CMCO. The CMCO is responsible for the marketing and communications functions, and in this role, he led Unilever's sustainability agenda and the Unilever corporate brand. He held th ...

and the director general was

Sue Biggs Sue-Anne Hilbre Biggs was the Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, retiring in June 2022 as the longest-serving Director General in the charity's history. Biggs began her career in the travel industry, where she worked for 30 years ...

CBE.

History

Founders

The creation of a British horticultural society was suggested by John Wedgwood (son of Josiah 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 at Hatchards bookshop in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

, London. Wedgwood was chairman; also present were

William Townsend Aiton William Townsend Aiton FRHS FLS (2 February 1766 – 9 October 1849) was an English botanist. He was born at Kew on 2 February 1766, the eldest son of William Aiton. He brought out a second and enlarged edition of the ''Hortus Kewensis'' in 181 ...

(successor to his father, William Aiton, as Superintendent of Kew Gardens), Sir

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

(President of the Royal Society), James Dickson (a nurseryman), William Forsyth (Superintendent of the gardens of

St. James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...

and

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

), Charles Francis Greville (a Lord of the Admiralty) and Richard Anthony Salisbury, who became the Secretary of the new society. Banks proposed his friend

Thomas Andrew Knight Thomas Andrew Knight (1759–1838), FRS, of Elton Hall in the parish of Elton in Herefordshire (4 miles south-west of Ludlow) and later of Downton Castle (3 miles north-west of Elton), was a British horticulturalist and botanist. He served as ...

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.

Membership

In 2009, more than 363,000 people were members of the society, and the number increased to more than 414,000 in 2013 and to 525,105 by 2019. 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). Members and Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society are entitled to use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

MRHS and FRHS, respectively.

Gardens

The Royal Horticultural Society's five major gardens in England are:

Wisley Garden RHS Garden Wisley is a garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society in Wisley, Surrey, south of London. It is one of five gardens run by the society, the others being Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor, and Bridgewater (which opened on 18 M ...

, near

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

; Rosemoor Garden in Devon;

in Essex;

in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and RHS Garden, Bridgewater in Worsley, Greater Manchester. The society's first garden was in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, from 1818 to 1822. In 1820 the society leased some of Hugh Ronalds' nursery ground at Little

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

to set up an experimental garden, but the next year part of the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

's estate at

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

was obtained. In 1823 it employed

Joseph Paxton Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

there. From 1827 the society held

fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village f� ...

s 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 at South Kensington on land leased from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (the Science Museum,

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

and the Royal College of Music now occupy the site), but it was closed in 1882. 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 by

Lady Anne Berry Lady Anne Sophia Berry (née Walpole, 11 December 1919 – 18 September 2019) was an English-New Zealand horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden. She offered the garden to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1988. In 1990 she married Bob Ber ...

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 the

Harry Smith Collection Garden World Images, (GWI) previously known as the Harry Smith Collection, whose origins can be traced back to the early 1950s and is one of the oldest and largest library of horticultural/botanical colour photographs in the World. The library su ...

which was based at Hyde Hall. The most recent addition is 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. In 2015, the RHS announced plans for a fifth garden at

Worsley New Hall Worsley New Hall is a former mansion and gardens by the Bridgewater Canal in Worsley, Greater Manchester, England, west of Manchester. The gardens were renovated by the Royal Horticultural Society and opened as RHS Garden Bridgewater in 2021. ...

, Greater Manchester, under the name

RHS Garden Bridgewater RHS Garden Bridgewater is the Royal Horticultural Society's fifth public display garden. It is located in the village of Worsley in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Gardens Bridgewater Gardens has been created in of the former Worsley Ne ...

. The garden opened in May 2021.

Shows

The RHS is well known for its annual flower shows which take place across the UK. The most famous of these shows is the RHS

, visited by people from across world. This is followed by the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (which the RHS took over in 1993) and RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

(since 1999). The most recent addition to the RHS shows line-up is the RHS Show Cardiff, held at

Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle ( cy, Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top ...

since 2005. The society is also closely involved with the spring and autumn shows at Malvern, Worcestershire, and with BBC Gardeners' World Live held annually at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre.

Libraries

The RHS is custodian of the

Lindley Library The Lindley Library in London is the largest horticultural library in the world. It is within the headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society, Library The main part of the library is based at 80 Vincent Square, London, within the headquarters ...

, housed within its headquarters at 80

Vincent Square Vincent Square is a grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres, lined with mature trees including London Planes. In among a network of backstreets, it chiefly provides playing fields for Westminster School, who own i ...

, London, and in branches at each of its four gardens. The library is based upon the book collection of

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

. 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 the

and Plant Heritage National Plant Collection holders. 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 at

and

Harlow Carr Garden RHS Garden Harlow Carr is one of five public gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society. It is located on the western edge of Harrogate in the English county of North Yorkshire. The RHS acquired Harlow Carr through its merger with the North ...

Britain in Bloom

In 2002, the RHS took over the administration of the Britain in Bloom competition from the Tidy Britain Group (formerly and subsequently

Keep Britain Tidy Keep Britain Tidy is a UK-based independent environmental charity. The organisation campaigns to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste. It has offices in Wigan and London. History Keep Britain Tidy was originally set up by a conf ...

). 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, the 'Britain in Bloom' celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Education and training

Royal Horticultural Society library - Senate House History Day 2019

The RHS runs formal courses for professional and amateur gardeners and horticulturalists and also validates qualifications gained elsewhere (e.g. at

Kew Botanic Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Medals and awards

People

The society honours certain British persons who are deemed by its council to be deserving of special recognition in the field of horticulture with the Victoria Medal of Honour, established in 1897. There are only 63 holders of this medal at any time, one for every year of the reign of Queen Victoria. This medal is thus not 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).''The Garden'', August 2009, page 512 (Royal Horticultural Society) 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 to community gardening) and the Roy Lancaster Award (for exceptional contribution by those under 35 years old). 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.

The Veitch Memorial Medal The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize issued annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Goal The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement o ...

, named after James 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.

Plants

The

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award 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 (but which are not referred to in current (2014) RHS websites and reports): : PC: Preliminary Certificate : HC: Highly Commended : AM:

Award of Merit The Award of Merit, or AM, is a mark of quality awarded to plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The award was instituted in 1888, and given on the recommendation of Plant Committees to plants deemed "of great merit for exhibitio ...

(not the same as the AGM) : FCC: First Class Certificate (once a very prestigious award)

Publications

Journals

The society published its proceedings as the ''Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London'' from 1807 to 1848. The society has also published a journal since 1846. Initially known as the ''Journal of the Horticultural Society of London'' (1846–1855), then ''Proceedings of the Horticultural Society of London'' (1859–1860) and ''Proceedings of the Royal Horticultural Society'' (1861–1869). This was continued as ''Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society'' (1866–1975). Since 1975 it has been entitled '' The Garden'' as a monthly publication. The RHS also publishes both ''

The Plant Review ''The Plant Review'', published quarterly by the Royal Horticultural Society, is a 68-page magazineThe Orchid Review ''The Orchid Review'', published quarterly by the Royal Horticultural Society, is a magazine 'dedicated to the celebration and deeper understanding of orchids'. It is the world's oldest existing periodical devoted to orchids and each issue feature ...

'' four times a year, and ''Hanburyana'', an annual publication dedicated to horticultural taxonomy since 2006.

Registers and encyclopedias

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 –

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s, clematis, daffodils, dahlias, delphiniums, dianthus, lilies, orchids and

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

s. It publishe
The International Orchid Register
the central listing of orchid hybrids. It published ''

Encyclopedia of Conifers ''Encyclopedia of Conifers. A Comprehensive Guide to Conifer Cultivars and Species'' is an encyclopedia written by Aris G. Auders and Derek P. Spicer, published in 2012. The two-volume, extensively illustrated encyclopedia is a complete referen ...

'' in 2012.

Books

The RHS publishes many horticulture and gardening books, including: * *

Presidents

;Horticultural Society of London (1804–1861) *1811–1838 :

(1st President) *1838–1858 : William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire *1858–1861 :

Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the consort of Queen Victoria from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his death in 1861. Albert was born in the Saxon duch ...

;Royal Horticultural Society (1861-) *1862–1883 : Duke of Buccleuch *1884–1885 : Sir

Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs Sir Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs (8 January 1821 – 2 June 1885) was an agriculturalist and horticulturalist who was knighted for his services to both by Queen Victoria in 1878. Early life Brandreth-Gibbs was born at Brompton Hall in London a ...

*1885–1913 : Sir

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National C ...

*1913–1919 :

Francis Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell Field Marshal Francis Wallace Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, (29 April 1841 – 27 January 1925) was a British Army officer. After serving as aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief, South Africa, he fought in the 9th Xhosa War, the Anglo-Zul ...

*1919–1928 :

Amelius Lockwood, 1st Baron Lambourne Lieutenant-Colonel Amelius Richard Mark Lockwood, 1st Baron Lambourne, (17 August 1847 – 26 December 1928) was a British soldier and politician. Background and education Born Amelius Wood, he was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Willi ...

*1928–1931 :

Gerald Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst Gerald Walter Erskine Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst, JP DL LLB (25 October 1861 – 30 April 1936) was a British barrister, businessman and Conservative politician. He is best remembered for developing the gardens at Wakehurst Place, Sussex. Bac ...

(11th President) *1931–1953 : Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway *1953–1961 : Sir

David Bowes-Lyon Sir David Bowes-Lyon KCVO (2 May 1902 – 13 September 1961) was the sixth son and last child of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck, as well as their tenth and youngest child. His el ...

*1961–1984 :

Charles McLaren, 3rd Baron Aberconway Charles Melville McLaren, 3rd Baron Aberconway, (16 April 1913 – 4 February 2003) was a British industrialist and horticulturalist. He was the son of Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, and Christabel Macnaghten. Education He was educated at ...

*1984–1994 : Robin A.E. Herbert *1994–2001 : Sir

Simon Hornby Sir Simon Michael Hornby (29 December 1934 – 17 July 2010) was a British businessman. He was chairman of WHSmith, the British retail chain, the Royal Horticultural Society and the Design Council. He founded the National Literacy Trust. Early l ...

*2001–2006 : Sir Richard Carew-Pole, Bt *2006–2008 : Peter N. Buckley *2009–2010 : Giles Coode-Adams *2010–2013 : Elizabeth Banks *2013–2020 : Sir Nicholas Bacon, Bt *2020–present :

References

Bibliography

* Elliott, Brent (2004). ''The Royal Horticultural Society: A History 1804–2004.'' Phillimore. * *

External links

* {{Authority control Charities based in London Gardening in the United Kingdom Horticultural organisations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 1804 1804 establishments in the United Kingdom