The RHS mission and charitable activities

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting gardening.

The RHS believes that horticulture and gardening enrich people’s lives. We are committed to bringing the personal and social benefits of gardens and gardening to a diverse audience of all ages. Our goal is to help people share a passion for plants, to encourage excellence in horticulture in private and public spaces, to help create healthy, sustainable communities and support long-term environmental improvements.

As a charity, we depend on the support and generosity of others to make a difference. Our charitable work is funded through members’ subscriptions along with donations, sponsorship and income from our garden operations, flower shows, shops and plant centres.

To find out how to help the RHS fulfil its charitable mission click here

Your help and donations will also help us to continue to provide access to gardens around the UK and to stage world-class flower shows and events that demonstrate the highest standards of horticulture.

The following describes our charitable purpose and objectives in the various departments and areas of the Society.

Science

As the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting gardening, we endeavour to give gardeners a practical understanding of the science that underpins gardening, to improve their experience of horticulture. We develop ideas on best practice in gardening, which meet the needs and expectations of gardeners and respect the fragility of our environment. The research we undertake yields practical benefits for gardeners at all levels of experience and interest.

Advice

We make practical and reliable advice and information on gardening available to all to meet their current and future gardening needs. Our advice contributes to a life-long learning process and inspires confidence among gardeners.

Learning

Education is central to the Society’s charitable purpose. The RHS provides both formal and informal learning opportunities so that people of all ages and experience can develop their appreciation and knowledge of the cultivation and creative use of plants. We aim to capture the public’s imagination and create opportunities for life-changing experiences for all those with whom we engage.

Events

As part of the our charitable purpose to promote gardening, the RHS provides a range of events across the UK where people of all ages and gardening experience can enhance their enjoyment and knowledge of plants through informal learning.

Shows

The RHS aims to inspire anyone with an interest in gardening and our shows provide the perfect showcase for innovative horticultural trends and new plants. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors whose support enables us to stage flower shows, which are enjoyed by visitors from around the world. Proceeds from our shows are invested in our charitable work to support gardening.

Gardens

The RHS helps gardeners across the UK by demonstrating a wide range of horticultural techniques and practices at its four gardens. The RHS gardens contain outstanding plant collections, which are recognised to be comparable to the most extensive of botanic garden collections. RHS Garden Wisley alone has over 30,000 taxa - one of the most extensive and diverse collections of cultivated plants in the world.

Publications

Gardeners throughout the world can access the RHS’s unrivalled horticultural expertise, information and resources in the form of numerous publications - books, DVDs, videos, the RHS website and three journals.

RHSE

The activities of our trading arm RHS Enterprises provide a valuable source of income to fund our charitable work. Proceeds from our garden operations, flower shows, shops and plant centres are all reinvested so that we can do even more to advance horticulture and promote gardening.

Support us

The RHS receives no government grants and for every pound received from members’ subscriptions we still need to raise more than twice as much again to fund our charitable work. We also rely on donations and sponsorship to supplement income from our garden operations, flower shows, shops and plant centres.