Get gardening and meet new friends
As part of this year’s RHS Dig Together Day, more than 70 groups affiliated to the RHS ran activities throughout September.
Research conducted by the RHS has found that one of the best ways to make friends, share in a common interest and expand your horizons is to join your local gardening club.
A poll of 550 gardening clubs affiliated to the RHS found that:
- 68% of members joined their local gardening club to make new friends
- 73% said they wanted to share gardening information
- 70% were keen to widen their knowledge
Stephanie Eynon, RHS Communities Manager, explains: “Gardening clubs really do offer excellent social benefits – monthly meetings, day trips out, annual events and even holidays abroad. And with each club averaging 80 members they are thriving mini-communities, full of passionate and committed people.”
There are more than 3,000 local gardening clubs and horticultural societies affiliated to the RHS. To find your nearest gardening club, allotment society or horticultural group, just visit our interactive map.
What the societies say...
“Each year our gardening club distributes a free plant to our members to grow on and then take to our annual show. We find that this generates a great community spirit as you can be stopped in the street to discuss how your fuchsia/begonia/trillium etc is progressing. Or you can be asked to ‘come and see how many blooms my trillium has produced this year’ – although this is not quite the equivalent of asking someone to ‘come up and see my etchings’, it still gets chins wagging!”
Dufftown Horticultural Society, Banffshire
“It brings lasting friendships; we have a common interest and a good mix of male and female members. It creates a social life and is a village asset.”
Barton Mills and District Gardening Club
Win a year's RHS membership
If you met the love of your life at your local gardening club, then email the RHS Press Office with your romantic story to be in with a chance of winning a year's membership. The first five to get in touch with a genuine story will win.
Share your Dig Together Day stories
If you and your club held a Dig Together Day event this year, then please share your stories and picture with us. Please email us: or phone: 020 7821 3069.