Each year the Trials Department runs special Open Days at RHS Garden Wisley. They provide plenty of additional information about the trial and give you the opportunity to speak to the experts.
For more information contact the Trials Office at RHS Garden Wisley on 01483 212440 or e-mail trials@rhs.org.uk
Hydrangea paniculata, Abelia, Lonicera (climbing, deciduous)
& Berberis trials-
September 13, 16, 18 & 20
11am - 3pm
These days give the opportunity for the public to visit this off-site trial in Wisley village and vote for their favourites.
Trials Day: How does a plant get the AGM?
Tuesday 21 October
A chance to see how RHS trials are conducted and how the experts arrive at their decisions on making this top plant award, with members of the Floral Trials Committee (including Bob Brown and Marina Christopher), the trials gardeners, trials officers and botanists.
More information
Previous 2008 Open Days
Crocus Open Day - Tuesday 26 February
This day was arranged to coincide with the trial of spring-flowering Crocus, which is now in its second year.
It included a special guest appearance by Janis Ruksans, who flew in from Latvia to give a talk and to give the background on the many cultivars he has submitted to the trial.
Morning session
Talks of 30 minutes each:
A General Introduction to Crocus by Brian Mathew
Cultivation of Crocus by Alan Edwards
Bowles and the C. chrysanthus hybrids by Roger Holland
Crocus in the Wild by Janis Ruksans
Question and Answer session
Afternoon session
Tours of the spring-flowering crocus trial, in the Rock Frame Yard, with Committee members and other specialists in the afternoon.
The objectives of the trial are:
- To assess currently available taxa, suitable for the rock garden and/or for the border.
- To recommend the Award of Garden Merit.
- To determine correct nomenclature.
- To demonstrate this group of plants to Wisley visitors over a three-year period.
- To create a detailed record (photographs, herbarium specimens and detailed descriptions).
- To demonstrate the performance of this plant group in raised beds and in the open ground.
Pinks and Carnations Open Day (FREE) - Wednesday 18 June
10.30am (On the Trials Field)
Pick the pink you think has the best fragrance: Visitors were invited to smell and vote for their favourite cultivars in the trial (which includes the new 'Passion')
11.30am (Hillside Events Centre)
New Ways to Display an Old Favourite: floral arrangement demonstration, including how to make a hand-tied bouquet (Helen Bostock)
1.30pm (Hillside Events Centre)
A series of talks and demonstrations by well-known pinks and carnations specialists
- The history of the pink (Mark Trenear)
- Ways of using dwarf pinks and garden pinks in containers (Sue Hoy)
- From seed to flowering plant (Peter Booker)
- Grow your own bunch of scented Spray Carnations (Vic Borrett, Jim Linnell)
- Breeding scented dianthus (John Whetman)
Delphinium Open Day - Wednesday 25 June
1.30-4.30pm (Hillside Events Centre)
The event started with an introductory talk by Dr David Bassett, Chairman of the RHS Delphinium Committee.
Topics covered included:
- A brief survey of the seed selection included in the trial
- Seed germination and first-year cultivation
- First-year flowering and plant assessment
- Winter survival and spring cultivation
- Second year flower assessment criteria
Participants were then given a conducted tour of the Trial of Delphiniums from Seed by members of the RHS Delphinium Committee.
In the event of wet weather, a series of short talks and demonstrations were planned:
- Delphiniums in Garden Design
- A Practical Demonstration of Hybridisation by Dr Shirley Bassett
- Breeding of Centurion Series Delphiniums by Duncan McGlashan
Herbaceous Plant Day - Thursday 3 July
11am - 3.30pm (Hillside Events Centre)
The RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee invited members of the public to bring herbaceous plants of interest to this meeting. The plants were discussed in an open forum, as much for interest (provenance, garden worthiness) as for possible award.
Tours of the trials of kniphofia, cortaderia and aconitum followed in the afternoon.
Buddleja davidii- July to August 2008
The Buddleja davidii trial in Howards Field, at the end of the Wisley Arboretum, opened daily throughout the flowering season, with an opportunity for visitors to vote for their favourite.
Sempervivum Open Day - Wednesday 3 September
This day highlighted the range of these hardy, alpine succulents in their final year on trial. It helped inform gardeners and promoted the work of the Rock Garden Plants Trials Subcommittee. It was a chance to see plants that seem able to cope with whatever climate change sends the gardener, from scorching summers like 2006 to the deluges of 2007.
Morning, starting 10.45am (the Lecture Room)
Short talks
- Introduction to Sempervivum by James Armitage (RHS Botanist)
- The Sempervivum trial at Wisley by Andrew McSeveney (Senior Gardener - Trials)
- Sempervivum by Howard and Sally Wills (National Plant Collection Holders)
- Question and Answer session
Afternoon, starting 2pm (Trials Field and in the Rock Garden)
Visit to the Sempervivum trial on the Trials Field, where visitors could see those that have just been recommended for the Award of Garden Merit, talk to Committee members and other specialists and join a tour of the rock garden and alpine house.
Dahlia Open Day - Tuesday 9 September
- Dahlia trial
- Daring dahlias in the garden, a talk by Fergus Garrett, a Floral Trials and Dahlia Committee member and Head Gardener at Great Dixter
- Dahlia propagation
- Dahlia classification
- Dahlia registration
Public voting
You can vote for your favourite Dahlia until the end of October; voting slips are alongside the trial at the peak viewing time.
Trials Open Days 2007
View the details of the Open Days
Trials Open Days 2006
View the details of the Open Days