The RHS is a noble charity that has been exploring the science of plants for 200 years. It offers excellent group attractions too, as we found out
For groups that want pure garden for their day out, you can't go wrong with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
The charity has four gardens around the UK, soon to be followed by a fifth in Greater Manchester, and they really are magical – even non-garden lovers will enjoy their many attractions, and the way they're carefully planted to reflect the best of each season. It doesn’t matter what time of year you visit, and there’s a round-the-calendar events programme to tempt you.
The RHS's flagship is Wisley in Surrey, a beautiful garden that's been owned by the RHS for 115 years. Bearing in mind the Society's purpose – as a Georgian organisation set up to explore and promote the science of horticulture – Wisley's long history has seen it meticulously cultivate and experiment with plants, and many of the specimens on display are truly special antiques. The original part of the garden, Oakwood, still thrives.
There is loads to explore. Against the backdrop of the stunning Laboratory is the Jellicoe Canal, Water Lily Pavilion and Walled Gardens. Seven Acres offers sweeping lawns and ponds, while tranquil Oakwood to this day has Wisley’s most diverse plant collection. There’s an Alpine Meadow; a Conifer Lawn; the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden and a Bonsai Walk.
Along with rock gardens, herb and vegetable gardens, mixed borders and arboretums, Wisley provides hours of exciting and relaxing landscapes for groups to explore, with the large Food Hall and the Glasshouse Café never too far away for a break.
We took a tour of the Winter Trail, a 10-stop guided tour through Seven Acres, and at this time of year, it's easy to see that this is no ordinary garden. Dozens of plants have been chosen especially for their glorious winter looks, from the on-and-off winter flowering cherry trees, to the delicate and varied nodding hellebores – and winter scents, too. There are rare plants that are being trialled at Wisley, and the whole effect is breathtaking and fascinating, even to those without a particularly keen interest in gardening.
We followed this tour with a chance to get warm in the huge Glasshouse, a beautiful giant greenhouse filled with warmer-climate plants, from citrus fruits of every kind to great exotic tropical flowers. They include many endangered and difficult-to-grow species. For Christmas, Wisley has a different exciting display every year in the Glasshouse – 2017’s involved reindeer, poinsettia displays and Christmas trees decorated by local schools.
Also for the winter, Wisley has a spectacular Christmas Glow lantern trail around the garden, including giant flower lanterns called ‘Jigantics’, illuminated trees, and the Glasshouse lit up spectacularly at night, all of which makes the garden well worth a visit after dark.
This is the third year that RHS Wisley has done the Christmas Glow event, and it will be back for winter 2018-19. Other RHS gardens also hold this spectacular trail, including Rosemoor and Hyde Hall.
Other RHS gardens
Wisley is the biggest, but RHS’s other gardens are all very much worth a visit – and they’re nicely spread geographically across England.
Rosemoor is in Devon; Harlow Carr is near Harrogate; Hyde Hall is in Essex. In 2020 Bridgewater will open in Salford, Manchester, the first new RHS garden since Harlow Carr in 2001, and the RHS believes it to be the biggest gardening project in Europe.
Bridgewater is the old garden of the Gothic mansion Worsley Old Hall, and all of the gardens have similarly interesting histories. Rosemoor started out as a mansion; Hyde Hall used to be a farm; and Harlow Carr is on the site of an ancient royal hunting ground – from the 1940s, the garden was the flagship of the Northern Horticultural Society, which merged with the RHS in 2001.
As for Wisley, visitors might imagine that the grand-looking house at its centre is a Tudor manor, but it actually dates from 1916, and was purpose-built in Arts and Crafts style as the RHS’s Laboratory – a role it holds to this day. It is currently undergoing restoration, and will open up to the public in 2021, with group tours available.
There is also work ongoing to construct a grand new Welcome Building for Wisley, due to open in 2019, which will include a 100-seater restaurant, a café, a shop and an expanded indoor plant centre.
Events at the gardens
All four RHS gardens have a full programme of events in 2018, which welcome groups. These include:
Wisley
- Butterflies in the Glasshouse: 13 January- 4 March
- Spring Plant Fair: 23-25 March
- Spring Craft Fair: 3-7 May
- Wisley Flower Show: 4-9 September
- Glow: 1 December-1 January.
Hyde Hall
- Spring Craft Fair: 4-7 May
- Rose Weekend: 9-10 June
- Garden Sculpture Trail: 23 June-31 July
- Floral Fantasia: 1 June-30 September
- Hyde Hall Flower Show: 1-5 August
- Taste of Autumn: 6-7 October
- Glow: 22 November-29 December.
Rosemoor
- RHS National Rhododendron Show: 21-22 April
- Spring Plant Fair: 12-13 May
- Rose Festival: 16 June-22 July
- Rosemoor Flower Show: 17-19 August
- Amazing Autumn Garden Trail: 3 September-16 November
- Glow: 16 November-5 January
- Winter Sculpture Exhibition: 17 November-17 February.
Harlow Carr
- Spring Plant Weekend: 5-6 May
- Spring Plant Fair: 6 May
- Harlow Carr Flower Show: 22-24 June
- Orchid Weekend: 4-5 August
- Autumn Sculpture Trail: 1 September-31 October
- Taste of Autumn and Real Ale Festival: 28-30 September.
RHS shows
Aside from the flower shows at each of the gardens, the RHS holds a number of other flower shows around the country, as it has done since 1820 – most notably the famous Chelsea Flower Show.
These shows are a great opportunity to see incredible, innovative displays, to hear speakers on gardening and see demonstrations, and to shop to your heart’s content for garden, home, lifestyle and foodie goodies.
The show dates are:
- Cardiff: 13-15 April
- Chelsea: 2-26 May
- Malvern Spring: 10-13 May
- Chatsworth: 6-10 June
- Hampton: Court 2-8 July
- Tatton Park: 18-22 July
- Malvern Autumn: 29-30 September.
Group planning
The RHS is very keen to welcome groups, and happy to arrange bespoke tours and visits. For bookings and enquiries contact 020 7821 3170 or groups@rhs.org.uk
