Latest RHS update in summary:
- All four RHS Gardens (Wisley, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall and Rosemoor) are currently closed;
- The following RHS Flower Shows are cancelled: Flower Show Cardiff, Malvern Spring Festival, Chelsea Flower Show, Chatsworth Flower Show and Flower Show Tatton Park, as well as two RHS London shows, RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show and RHS Garden Harlow Carr Flower Show;
- The following RHS Flowers Shows are postponed: Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival will now take place 10–15 September (it was scheduled 7–12 July). RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show will now take place 2–6 September (it was scheduled 5–9 August). RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show will now take place 18–20 September (it was scheduled 14–16 August);
- RHS Libraries are closed until further notice;
- National RHS Britain in Bloom competition finals cancelled for 2020;
- The RHS continues its charitable work, thanks to the support of its members, fellows and donors, to bring the mental and physical health benefits of gardening to everyone and, through scientific research and education, to help gardeners protect the environment;
- The RHS is actively supporting nurseries via the Ornamental Horticultural Roundtable Group to call for action from the UK Government to provide assistance to growers and retailers
Closure of RHS Gardens and Libraries
The RHS puts its members, employees and volunteers’ safety at the heart of everything we do. We know the enjoyment that our gardens and gardening bring to you all. That is why the decision to close our RHS Gardens and retail outlets came about after careful consideration.
RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Rosemoor and RHS Harlow Carr, including our shops and cafes, and RHS Libraries are therefore closed until further notice.
Members
To help our members to grow at home and enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of gardening, we continue to produce The Garden magazine and will ensure that our increased number of RHS advisors are ready to support our members with one-to-one advice online and over the phone. These two actions are designed with members at their very heart. On top of this, we are introducing new ways for us to engage with you including online supplements, new gardening advice films and weekly emails as well as behind the scenes access to the Gardens from our curators who continue to maintain our important living collections.
Members are invited to Virtual Chelsea, online this May, and when the Gardens reopen, we hope you can join us for an exclusive Members’ week to celebrate. We rely on our members to support our charity, so we can teach children about reconnecting with nature and growing; fund vital scientific research on the role of gardening to support health, protect the environment and help mitigate climate change, fight pests and diseases, as well as support the gardeners of the future with training and apprenticeships. We hope members can continue to support us, and are very grateful for the positive messages and upgrades to life membership we have received, but understand that everyone has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis in different ways. If you would like to discuss your membership contact us at membership@rhs.org.uk
RHS Flower Shows
All Flower Shows have been cancelled apart from Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival which is postponed until 10–15 September; Hyde Hall Flower Show postponed until 2–6 September and Rosemoor Flower Show postponed until 18–20 September. This is in line with UK Government advice.
Postponing Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival to September enables the RHS to support nurseries in the South of England who regularly attend both Hampton Court and the Wisley Flower Show. There are already other Flower Shows taking place in the North of England in September, including the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, and the RHS has made the decision to not hold Tatton, so it doesn’t clash with them and impact on nurseries and trade exhibiting there.
The RHS is a people-powered charity. We must ensure at all times that the health and safety of everyone visiting our shows and events is protected. This is the first time since the Second World War where RHS Chelsea Flower Show has had to be cancelled. The show has become a fixture within our national life and the decision to cancel it was not an easy one. But we know that by cancelling our shows and events we are playing our small part in combatting the Covid-19 virus.
The full list of events that have been cancelled are as follows:
- RHS London Spring Launch and Orchid Show, 7–8 April
- RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, 17–18 April
- RHS Flower Show Cardiff, 17–19 April
- RHS Malvern Spring Festival, 7–10 May
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 19–23 May
- RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, 11–14 June
- RHS Garden Harlow Carr Flower Show, 26–28 June
- RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, 22–26 July
- RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show, 8–13 September
The full list of events that have been postponed are as follows:
- RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival will now take place 10–15 September (it was scheduled 7–12 July)
- RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show will now take place 2–6 September (it was scheduled 5–9 August)
- RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show will now take place 18–20 September (it was scheduled 14–16 August)
The RHS is monitoring Government advice constantly. We will provide updates on our future shows as the situation develops and will be in contact with those who have purchased tickets if the shows have to be cancelled.
Those who have purchased tickets for any of the cancelled shows will be contacted by the RHS. There is no need to contact us unless it is an emergency. This will give us the capacity to offer everyone affected a full refund within 21 days.
RHS supporting ornamental horticulture
In these unprecedented times we need to pull together to protect what makes gardening great. That is why the RHS continues to work, via the Ornamental Horticultural Roundtable Group (OHRG), with our partners to convince the UK Government to implement financial support for the industry.
We continue to be in open dialogue with the UK Government, partnership organisations and members to ensure that the right action is taken at the right time. We will not stand by. We will act and utilise the full support of the RHS to make sure everyone can continue to enjoy the benefits of gardening.
Useful links:
World Health Organisation
UK public health authorities
