The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (RCHS) is the national horticultural society of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and was founded in 1809.Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society
Neil & Company, London 1814, web reference retrieved 22 April 2011 Members include both amateur and professional, generalists, specialists and those who simply like gardens and gardening. The aim of the society is to inspire, encourage and support the science, art and practice of all types of horticulture in Scotland and to advance education in gardening and horticulture for everyone. It was a founding part in the establishment of 'Gardening Scotland'.and in the formation of the 'Scottish Gardeners Forum', organisations with which it continues to maintain strong links.

Leadership

The

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...

is the current patron of the RCHS.The Official Website of The British Monarchy
The Princess Royal, Charities and Patronages, Retrieved 22 April 2011 The current president is Lewis Normand, recent past presidents have included David Knott SHM, Pam Whittle CBE, George Anderson MBE SHM and Professor Fred T. Last. The society's secretary/administrator, Julie Muir, is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the society. Previous secretaries include Alison Murison, Tom Mabbott, who was appointed an MBE for services to Scottish Horticulture, John MacLennan, and Dr. John MacKay. The first secretary was Dr. Andrew Duncan who was also involved with the formation of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

Awards

Each year the society presents a range of medals and awards that recognise an individual's contribution to Scottish

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. These include: * the Scottish Horticultural Medal SHM (the highest accolade and strictly limited to a maximum of 50) * the Andrew Duncan Medal (awarded for distinguished service by an educationalist, advisor or administrator) * the Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture ( awarded for outstanding service by a non professional. Introduced in 1990 to mark the 90th birthday of the society's Patron who was the first recipient and an active member of the society) * the

Dr Patrick Neill Medal Patrick Neill (25 October 1776 – 3 September 1851) was a Scottish printer and horticulturalist, known as a naturalist. A founding member, and the first secretary, of both the Wernerian Natural History Society (1808–49) and the Caledonian H ...

, (a medal awarded to a Scottish botanist or cultivator. It is the award with the longest history having been established in Dr Patrick Neill's will in 1851. * Certificates of Merit (awards that acknowledge a wide range of service gardening and horticulture in Scotland). * the Carter-Patterson Memorial Medal (awarded to a high achieving horticulture student or apprentice).

Charitable Aims

The core charitable aim of the society is to advance education in gardening and horticulture for the public benefit. In order to fulfil this aim the society * maintains key elements of Saughton Park, and a large demonstration allotment, * runs a horticultural award scheme called '''Grow and Learn''', that recognises individual progress and achievement through experiential learning and personal development for people with complex learning needs or a learning disability. * offers an innovative programme of events, workshops and talks for everyone.

Events

The society holds an annual Spring Bulb Show, on the first weekend beginning of April and other small shows including Auricula & Primula, Cacti & Succulents, and early Autumn Show at Saughton Park.

Publications

Publications include an annual quality journal, The Caldeonian Gardener, focusing on horticulture in Scotland.

Partnerships

The society is a key partner, along with

City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

in the re-development of Saughton Park, Edinburgh. The societies base at Saughton provides an office base along with teaching and demonstration areas within the park.

References

External links

RCHS web site
{{Authority control Horticultural organisations based in the United Kingdom Charities based in Edinburgh Organisations based in Edinburgh Organizations established in 1809

Horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Science and technology in Scotland 1809 establishments in Scotland Gardening in Scotland