2026 with the RHS

It’s scientifically proven that gardening is good for you, so make it one of your 2026 goals to get outside and join us in any way you can, celebrating a love and passion for gardens, gardening and nature.

Bringing Nature Home –

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.

biodiversity – our theme for 2026

Biodiversity has never been more important and as the leading gardening charity we want to have a positive influence on the world around us. This year we want to share our expertise, helping everyone understand how they can encourage and nurture wildlife and nature, and create healthy and resilient environments in their own gardens. Our campaign ‘Bringing Nature Home’ will encourage everyone from policy makers to builders, courtyard gardeners and school children to bring as much nature and diversity into their space as possible.

This year, the Wild About Gardens campaign celebrates its 10th anniversary. The theme is ‘Magical Moths: day or night help moths take flight’. Join us to discover more about these garden friends and how you can play a part in helping them thrive in your garden.

Moths are in decline and need our help

Planting for purpose

Our scientists are hoping to bring even more research into the public domain this year on the best plants to grow to bring the biggest benefits to the world around us, and how to use plants to help us deal with whatever the climate brings. Building on the expanded Plants for Pollinators lists we published in 2025, we’ll bring even more evidence-backed information on which plants to grow for different purposes – drought, flooding, wildlife, climate resilience and air quality.

Our trials team will continue to test and recommend plants that will thrive in your gardens with scores of new plant trials. We will continue to suggest the best plants to grow across our editorial platforms. Our articles on the 10 best award-winning plants have been a roaring success this year, with over half a million page views. If you haven’t checked them out – there are plant selections for all sorts of tricky areas.

We’ll also be reporting from the RHS Shows and highlighting all the latest plants that designers, nurseries and growers are using. Bookmark the RHS Chelsea news feed from May to get the insights.

Lavender is a favourite for bumblebees

Peat-free

RHS Garden Centres and RHS Plants online will sell only ‘no new peat’ plants from 1 January 2026.

We’re working with the very best and most progressive commercial partners in the UK, as well as pioneering specialist nurseries, to bring you the biggest range of ‘no new peat’ plants of any retailer in the UK. Visit our RHS Garden Centres to discover an unmatched range of high quality, sustainably grown plants (without any increase in price), including exciting new ranges of peonies, hostas and the flowering nerines and amarines you may have spotted creating an autumn spectacle in the RHS Gardens.

A healthy peat bog stores carbon and is a vital habitat for wildlife

We’re doing this to ensure that peatlands – vital wildlife habitats and the UK’s biggest natural defence against climate change – aren’t being exploited to produce the plants we sell. You can support our mission by buying from us in the knowledge that you are supporting more sustainable, largely UK-grown plants that support pioneering British businesses. 

We have also created a peat-free nursery list online to showcase the growers we know are working hard to be sustainable.

In addition, this year we are pleased to announce that the RHS is the first multi-site public or botanic garden in the UK where all parts of all sites – including the Gardens and Garden Centres are Plant Healthy certified. This means we have taken measures aimed at preventing the spread of potentially harmful organisms (pests, diseases or

Invasive plants are those that grow vigorously, spread rapidly and can out-compete other plants. Native, non-native and cultivated plants can all be invasive.

Checking plants before they go to RHS Retail

RHS Shows

We have two new RHS Shows this year as we take them around the country to give access to more people. RHS Members get discounted tickets, early bird offers and special RHS Members’ Days at selected shows but everyone is welcome. This year there are four summer shows, each with different designers, concepts and gardens.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 19-23 May is, for some, the headline act, where you’ll see the most avant-garde designs, showstopping plants and design tips from some of the greatest minds in design. Kuoni named RHS Chelsea as “one of the world’s must-see travel experiences.” It’s the place to be in London in spring and tickets sell fast. This year Sir David Beckham will join Frances Tophill and Alan Titchmarsh CBE to create The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden.

The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

RHS Chelsea brings news on the RHS Plant of the Year, so check in to see who’s made the shortlist in the spring and discover the newest and most interesting plants on the market.
 
Show aficionados know you don’t need to wait for RHS Chelsea. RHS Malvern Spring Festival, (7-10 May) is the first show of the season and sees horticulture meet interior design, with RHS-judged indoor and outdoor gardens to inspire houseplant enthusiasts, alongside a packed line-up of garden stars sharing their know-how on the Talks Stages. Set in the stunning Malvern Hills, RHS Malvern kick-starts the show season. See the gardens, shop for plants and gardening gifts and soak up the springtime atmosphere.
 
If you’ve ticked off all the previous RHS Shows and are excited about an adventure, they are going on tour. While RHS Hampton, RHS Tatton and RHS Wentworth take a pause, you can visit RHS Badminton Flower Show in South Gloucestershire from 8-12 July, which will feature the popular Young Designers Competition. Later that month (22-26 July), we’ve been invited by our Patron, The King to hold a show at his family estate in Norfolk. RHS Sandringham Flower Show will see the popular Long Borders bring inspirational planting ideas, as well as the spectacular creations of the Flower School. These shows give you the chance to quiz the designers and growers, as well as buy exciting goodies for your garden at home – the shopping is fabulous.

From June till August, London hosts the RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, a great reason for a decadently floral trip to the city this summer.

The RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, in partnership with the Saatchi Gallery, London

What’s happening in the RHS Gardens

The five RHS Gardens have events throughout the year and members get free unlimited days out at our gardens. There’s a programme of activities for all the major school holidays, plus events to celebrate the gardening calendar. Starting in January with houseplant events to help green your home during the winter months, we then celebrate wildlife by bringing the famous The Wind in The Willows illustrations to life with a fun, family trail running from February half term until the end of the year.

The Wind in the Willows: A garden adventure

The last few years of roadworks have had their impact on RHS Wisley but where there is light at the end of the tunnel, there are also tulips. As the works come to an end, we’ve celebrated by planting more than one hundred thousand beautiful bulbs, which will emerge in spring. Everything has its season and we’re ready to start a new one at RHS Wisley, so if you’ve missed its beauty for a while – come back and enjoy. For those who supported us through this time – a huge thank you. 

At Easter for all RHS Gardens, there’s a detective quest to solve. Then for May half term, we’ve got giant fun in store as The Great Garden Game-a-thon returns, followed by a summer full of botanical LEGO® activities with big builds for the whole family to get stuck into.

In autumn, join us for Plot to Plate as we explore the harvest season with foodie demos, seasonal recipes and everything that makes the season so delightful. September should also see the opening of the Yangzhou Scholars’ Garden at RHS Bridgewater, so plan in a date to visit and come and see this extraordinary transformation.

Pumpkins galore at RHS Gardens

Pumpkins are aplenty in October and it’s a great way to celebrate school half term with the children. Last year we grew hundreds of different varieties, with the chance to taste some of our great produce in our on-site restaurants and cafés. There’ll also be spooky Halloween activities to enjoy. 

If you can’t make it to one of the main RHS Shows, why not visit a flower show or gardening festival at one of the RHS Gardens – they’re free for RHS members. Put dates in your diaries for the Wildlife Gardening Weekend (2–3 May) and Summer Gardening Weekend (19–21 June) at RHS Harlow Carr, the RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show (5–9 August), the RHS Rosemoor Garden Festival (21–23 August), and finish the show season with the wonderful RHS Wisley Flower Show (1–6 September).

The five RHS Gardens also host a series of plant shows and fairs throughout the year, covering everything from orchids to alpines and bonsai, as well as flower and fruit and vegetable competitions. They’re great events to pick up expert advice, buy rare and unusual plants and chat directly to specialist growers. Our horticultural competitions are open to all and free to enter.

RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show

RHS Glow is an unmissable event during the Christmas season

RHS Glow is always a hit and will return from November, so pop it in your diary for a lovely Christmas activity with friends, family or colleagues. The best tickets sell fast so book early. 

RHS Glow Wisley

Don’t forget members get free personalised advice

We have thousands of advice pages on our website to help answer your gardening queries. RHS Members have access to our personalised advice service, as well as The Garden magazine and the RHS The Garden app, but our website, social media and the Gardening with the RHS podcast are free and available to all. 

Get your personalised garden coach with RHS Grow

For those who want to go deeper and map their own gardens, get personalised advice, keep journals and get curated tips – subscribe to the RHS Grow app –  income from RHS Grow subscriptions support our charitable work and helps fund further science, research, school and community gardening projects and hospital wellbeing gardens.

Get involved at the RHS to boost your wellbeing

Courses and workshops

There are approximately 450 courses and workshops held across our five gardens. They are released in three waves – mid-January, around May and September. They are varied, with courses on how to start growing vegetables, forest gardening and much more. There are also craft workshops, including stained glass and willow basket making, as well as botanical art and photography classes. They’re incredibly popular, so bookmark the courses and workshops page and add yourself to the mailing lists to be alerted when they are released. 

A wool workshop at RHS Rosemoor

Discover our Partner Gardens

Partner Gardens are one of the major benefits of RHS Membership, with access at specific times to members across 241 gardens across the country – the most we’ve ever had. 

This year 18 new gardens join the scheme with five of those overseas and in exciting news we are bringing both The Eden Project in Cornwall to the programme and Glamis Castle and Gardens in Scotland – the former home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Make sure you vote for the RHS Partner Garden of the Year or visit the 2025 winner Dumfries House.

In June, RHS Members often get access to the London Open Gardens weekend, which offers visitors the chance to see gardens not normally open to the public.

The Eden Project’s canopy bridge inside its tropical dome

Study a range of qualifications designed by RHS experts

Many formal courses open applications in January so now is a good time to apply if you want to work towards a job or qualification. Our New Shoots programme gives budding horticulturists the chance to explore whether it’s the right path for them.

In 2025, we launched and opened the Greener Skills Garden at RHS Wisley – a garden within the garden, dedicated entirely to learning and education, and although it’s primarily for learners, it’s open for anyone to take a peek and maybe pick up some science and sustainability tips. We’re also hoping to add a second learning garden at Bridgewater in 2026 so keep your eyes peeled for that.

The Greener Skills Garden at RHS Wisley

Borrow from our libraries or delve into our collections

The RHS is home to the finest gardening heritage collection in the world. Browse books, attend a talk at one of our libraries, or explore online our digital collections and resources including eBooks and audiobooks. With RHS Libraries membership you can even borrow books and have them delivered to your door.

The Blundell Library at RHS Harlow Carr

Community gardening – how to get involved

In spring we will launch the first RHS Wellbeing Blueprint, a science-backed guide developed for anyone who wants to create a garden optimised for wellbeing at home, in their community or organisation. This scientific research includes a useful set of principles, practical ideas and real-life success stories that can get you started. We will also create our next and final NHS Wellbeing Garden at Oldham Hospital in autumn.

In summer, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show The Tate Britain Garden, designed by Tom Stuart Smith, will be relocated into the surroundings of the iconic museum in London for the community and visitors to enjoy.

A wellbeing garden at Leeds St James’s University Hospital, Leeds

Children and schools

Our work to make schools and education settings more diverse and wildlife friendly continues with the National Education Nature Park and we will start to report back on the success of this national programme. The goal is to make educational settings as biodiverse as possible so we develop and help biodiversity thrive across the whole of the UK.

The RHS Campaign for School Gardening offers resources and help for teachers who want to bring gardening to school children. If you are a teacher, educator or work with children – sign up for support and resources

Getting children started on their lifelong journey with gardening

New homes need new gardens

We will continue to lobby for the provision of individual and shared gardens to be central to the government’s housebuilding plans and will be encouraging all developers and builders to think about their role in increasing biodiversity and their effect on the world around them as they create new homes. We’ll also urge decision makers to allow Space to Grow for everyone. We’re creating a new builds hub on our website, which will be available to all new homeowners, builders and developers to give them useful advice on how to create and support gardens with homes. 

The garden of Gill, a volunteer at RHS Wisley, in Richmond, London

Hilltop Live offers a series of free daily talks, demonstrations and interactive sessions

You can get close to our scientists and advisors at the Home of Gardening Science at RHS Hilltop at RHS Wisley. Discover something new by attending one of our free daily RHS Hilltop Live talks, or bring the kids along to explore some of the accessible science behind our natural world. To hear from world-leading experts on big current topics in gardening science, put the free annual autumn John MacLeod lecture in the diary – keep an eye out on this page for details and take a look at previous lectures online.

RHS Hilltop Live, RHS Wisley

Citizen science

Take part in citizen science – we’re always looking for a wide range of participants to help our research, and your participation can make a real difference. For example, in 2024, citizen scientists from across the UK pulled together to contribute to the Bumbles on Blooms project, submitting photos of bees on flowers to help our scientists identify key plants that provide the nectar bumblebees need to get going in spring. This community project won an award from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs for its work to champion pollinators and has fed into our plant recommendations to help us advise you on the best plants to plant. Keep an eye on the help our research page for new projects and ongoing surveys that you can get involved with.

A student taking part in a survey at RHS Garden Bridgewater as part of the National Citizen Service (NCS)

Thank you for supporting our charity

We have so much on offer this year and every time you visit us, eat in our restaurants, join as a member, subscribe to the GROW app, book tickets to a show or donate to us, you help fund our wide range of crucial research into biodiversity, climate resilience and wildlife, environmentally friendly gardening. You help us improve sustainability in the horticultural industry, encourage healthy plants and gardens and you help fund our education and community gardening projects. The bigger we are – the more we can make a difference to both people and planet.

Thanks for all you support and a happy and healthy 2026 to our wonderful gardening community. We can’t wait to see you at a garden or show soon.