Meet the Plant Health team

Our team performs research and provides training and advice on plant health problems, biosecurity issues and biodiversity in gardens

To encourage good stewardship of nature in gardens, the team investigates ways to detect, identify and sustainably manage plant health issues from root diseases to caterpillars, whilst enhancing the biodiversity and natural resilience of gardens. All this information helps to provide evidence-based and up-to-date advice to members through our RHS Gardening Advice service and online to the wider public. We are managed as three sub-teams, but much of our work is collaborative across these teams.

Dr Andrew Salisbury | Head of Plant Health

Andrew leads the RHS Plant Health team, consisting of specialist experts in biosecurity, ecology, entomology, nematology, plant pathology and wildlife.

Helen Bostock | Senior Wildlife Specialist

Helen is the Senior Wildlife Specialist, working with the Plant Health team to provide wildlife gardening expertise and lead on developing and delivering biodiversity targets for the RHS Science and Sustainability strategies.

Dr Hayley Jones | Principal Entomologist

Dr Hayley Jones leads our research into slugs and snails (gastropods) in gardens while also working on the agapanthus gall midge, a new pest to science, discovered by the RHS in 2014.

Dr Stephanie Bird | Senior Scientist – Plant Health

Dr Stephanie Bird is investigating control methods for box tree caterpillar and assessing the year-round availability of pollinator-friendly plants. She supports RHS Gardening Advice, replying to members’ enquiries about garden invertebrates and plant diseases.

Dr Magdalena Boshoff | Plant Health Scientist (Entomology/Nematology)

Dr Magdalena Boshoff specialises in plant nematology and is currently building a nematode reference collection.

Josie Stuart | Plant Health Scientist (Entomology)

Josie explores cultural controls for woolly apple aphids and assesses the effectiveness of natural predator shelters for community orchards and garden apple trees.

Katy Hubbuck | Research Assistant

Katy provides technical support to the Plant Health team, and allocates space and equipment for projects and experiments.

Dr Liz Beal | Senior Plant Pathologist

Dr Liz Beal heads up our research programme into Phytophthora and leads the team answering pathology enquiries received by RHS Gardening Advice.

John Scrace | Diagnostic Plant Pathologist

John Scrace diagnoses the causes of member’s plant problems from their plant samples and online enquiries.

Dr Fay Newbery | Plant Pathologist

Dr Fay Newbery is a Plant Pathologist, focussed on plant disease diagnostics.

Dr Jassy Drakulic | Plant Pathologist

Dr Jassy Drakulic is a Plant Pathologist whose research concentrates on honey fungus, developing tests to diagnose the disease and understanding the interactions between different honey fungus species.

Ian Waghorn | Research Assistant

Ian Waghorn supports the research scientists in the RHS Plant Health team, providing technical and administrative support. He helps maintain the research facilities.

Sam Leonard | PhD Student

Sam is a PhD student studying and quantifying resistance to honey fungus in a variety of horticulturally important plants, using both practical techniques and new molecular techniques.

Sara Redstone | Principal Scientist (Biosecurity)

Sara is responsible for biosecurity across RHS Gardens, Reception, Retail, Shows and other activities, and leads a team of 6 plant health specialists.

Kirsty Wright | Plant Reception Coordinator

Kirsty Wright is developing Plant Reception capability across all RHS Gardens to help prevent pests and diseases from entering on incoming plant material. She advises curatorial teams about the risks associated with different plants and promotes best practice in RHS procurement and handling of new plants.

Dr Rebekah Robinson | Plant Health Advisor

Rebekah works in plant health diagnostics and provides advice to members from descriptions, photos and samples of their unhealthy plants.

Dr Fryni Drizou | Plant Health Scientist

Dr Fryni Drizou is a Plant Health Scientist researching and implementing plant health, and pest and disease management strategies across RHS Gardens, Shows and Garden Centres.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.