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The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) was founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London. It is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its flower shows including the Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Tatton Park Flower Show and Cardiff Flower Show.
The RHS's four major gardens in England are:
- Wisley Garden, near Wisley in Surrey;
- Rosemoor Garden in Devon
- Hyde Hall in Essex and
- Harlow Carr in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
It also has over 200 beautiful Partner Gardens for RHS members to enjoy at selected times. Access to the gardens is free for Members.
The RHS is custodian of the Lindley Library, housed within its headquarters at 80 Vincent Square, London, and in branches at each of its four gardens. The library is based upon the book collection of John Lindley.
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 Harry Smith Collection and Plant Heritage National Plant Collection holders.
The reference library at Wisley Garden is open to visitors to the Garden.
It also supports training for professional and amateur gardeners. The RHS Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture aims to develop essential horticultural skills. The Level 2 qualifications are for those wanting a route into the horticultural profession, to support career development for those already working in horticulture or to provide a foundation for further learning or training. |