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The Hub of a Flowering Nation: The Royal Horticultural Society
The
sight of a gardener stooped over his or her plants may bring to
mind the moral virtues of patience, gentleness, and tenacity.
The plants themselves are the image of balance, harmony, beauty
and persistence. Those who have a passion for gardening often
highly value the pursuit of virtues as well. Although they undoubtedly
exist, most of us would be hard-pressed to find an impatient and
miserly lover of flowers. Charity may be the last moral virtue
we associate with gardens, but the Royal Horticultural Society
of Britain has merged the two in a legacy that has becomes an
international treasure and a source of great national pride. It
is partly due to their influence that when the subject of gardens
is mentioned, England will most often come to mind. Though there
are many other countries with impressive histories of cultivation,
it is England that has most successfully merged gardening with
various aspects of public life.
The
RHS did not spring up overnight. Its history is intertwined
with that of a nation long involved in the exploration
and settlement of the world. Let us briefly put the negative
effects colonization wrought upon certain cultures aside,
to consider some of the great advancements it did make.
Increased appreciation for the flora of distant lands
undoubtedly expanded the collective English aesthetic
taste. With an increasing variety of plants and flowers
at their fingertips, gardeners were able to experiment
with new textures and colours, and as a result, create
some of the most inspiring natural sanctuaries known to
humankind. I will leave for another discussion the effects
this cross-breeding may have had on local plant ecosystems
and environmental stability. Let us focus here on the
ways in which the RHS has expanded our aesthetic imagination
in its encouragement of the proliferation of horticultural
diversity.
The
Society was first christened the Horticultural Society
of London in 1804, by Joseph Banks and John Wegwood. Its
name was changed by Prince Albert in a Royal Charter in
1861. Its original aim (which still remains true), was
to collect information about any and every plant species,
and to improvement horticultural practice in general.
In the 1820s, the Society begun to host flower shows,
which only continued to grow in popularity. In the1850s,
the Society suffered from a lack of funds, and falling
income from its garden. A low point in its history was
the sale of its library which then contained many rare
books and original specimen drawings. Prince Albert, who
was the Society's President at the time, was able to rescue
the failing fortunes by setting up a new Charter, as previously
mentioned. He was also responsible for establishing a
new garden in Kensington, which would serve as its headquarters
until 1888. When Royal support finally begun to mount,
the Society was able to resuscitate its library by purchasing
John Lindley's collection in 1866.
The
Society's four main gardens were each acquired by different
means. Wisley (in Surrey) was purchased in 1903 by Sir
Thomas Hanbury and given to the Society as a new experimental
garden. Wisley was the sole RHS garden for 80 years. In
1987 Rosemoor (in Devon) was given to the Society by Lady
Anne Palmer. In 1993 Hyde Hall (in Essex), the gift of
Mr and Mrs Dick Robinson, was added. As recently as 2001,
the RHS amalgamated with the Northern Horticultural Society
and now runs Harlow Carr (North Yorkshire) as well as
the others. Aside from its gardens, the Society's is also
known for its record setting flower shows, the most famous
of which is the Chelsea Flower Show. The shows at Hampton
Court and Tatton Park are also world-renowned.
The
flower shows are only one example of the RHS's commitment
to public horticultural education. As stated on their
website, the RHS "believes that horticulture and
gardening enrich people's lives," and they are "committed
to bringing the personal and social benefits of gardens
and gardening to a diverse audience of all ages."
Though many other gardening movements have sprung up all
over the world, (reactions to continued industrial and
technological mechanization), it is the Society that provides
the paradigm from which to branch out. Their consistent
effort over the last two centuries to nurture a passion
for plants in all people deserves to be emulated. Beyond
being simply a role model, the Society continues to actively
encourage excellence wherever horticulture is practiced.
In both private and public, the Society works continually
to bring sustainable practices to the art and craft of
gardening.
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The Society receives no government funding, and memberships provide
only a quarter of its operating expense. The other portion comes
from generous donations, sponsorship, volunteer work, and legacies.
Members of the RHS receive free unlimited access to the Society's
four famous gardens. They also receive the RHS's monthly journal,
reduced prices on tickets to a variety of events, free advice
from the Wisley garden's Advisory Department, and access to seeds
from the annual Seed Distribution Scheme. This project makes specially
cultivated seed, from more than 700 plant varieties, available
to members every year. In response to more than 10,000 requests
annually, the RHS distributes approximately 250,000 packets of
seeds to RHS members worldwide.
The
RHS's focus on Education is one of its key charitable components.
When one thinks of the RHS, grey hairs and retired people might
come to mind, but one of their central aims is to bring greater
understanding to a “new generation of gardeners.”
The Society offers four levels of Horticultural Certificates and
Diplomas, leading up to the Master of Horticultural Award. These
levels of education have truly set the standard in the industry,
and the RHS receives countless applications from all over the
world, as well as funding and sponsoring ample scholarships and
bursaries. They also offer paid internships in a variety of specialist
disciplines such as Rock and Alpine Gardening, Orchard Culture,
and Fruit Cultivation, to name only a few. They also provide access
to a database of related internships in the field. 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 Lindley Library is now the world's foremost horticultural
collection, containing over 50,000 books, 1,500 periodicals and
18,000 botanical drawings. It is open to the public as a reference
library only. The RHS also publishes three of the world's most
respected gardening journals, and a variety of journals of professional,
scientific, and leisurely interest. Wide variety of books, videos,
plant registries, and scientific publications on just about any
garden-related topic one could bring to mind. The RHS also gives
out the Victoria Medal of Honour to persons who are deemed by
its Council to be deserving of special recognition in the field
of horticulture.
In
the arena of research and development, the Society has moved from
fertilization to genetics, to naming and categorizing. In 1908
the first list of daffodil names was published, and today, the
Society is the International Registration Authority for more categories
of plants than any other organisation in the world. Their websites
hosts links to everything from garden design ideas, to topical
advice, to local weather information. Showing a hardiness and
diversity as mature as nature herself, the Society has truly adapted
with the times. The online component of the RHS boasts "Gardening
for All" as its wide-reaching motto. It has moved from a
collection of the elite, to a champion of the universality of
its trade.
Please
also visit Old London Maps
on the web as many of the maps
and views available there have plans and depictions of gardens
from
the medieval period through to the late nineteenth century.
Copyright
© Sara Douglass Enterprises Pty Ltd 2006
No material may be reproduced without permission
unless
specifically stated otherwise
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