Gardens and Horticulture

Innovate, curate and share expertise to make our stunning gardens and events as vibrant and awe-inspiring as they can be for our visitors

Where innovating comes naturally

The teams who work in our five different gardens enjoy the scope to experiment and try out new things. It’s about making everything more sustainable while looking after our heritage and developing the existing plant collections. As a student or apprentice, you can gain practical experience and learn from some of the UK’s leading horticulturists.

You could be working on a specific garden area with a team of experienced colleagues, volunteers, students, apprentices and work placement learners. You may also be involved in our flower shows or working with local communities. It’s a great opportunity to share your knowledge about plants, the environment and gardening with a wide range of people.

Working in curatorial at the RHS

Learn about the experiences of working in the RHS Curatorial team and why it could be the job for you.

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“If you really want to be part of rich horticulture, great plant collections, and varied day-to-day work, curatorial would be the place. If gardening’s where you want to be, come and apply for a job here!”

Matthew, Curator RHS Wisley

Our Garden and Horticulture teams

Garden (curatorial)

Working in one of our five gardens offers a range of exciting and varied opportunities. You’ll have the chance to share your skills and knowledge with everyone from garden visitors, including schoolchildren, to novice gardeners and students who want to follow in your footsteps. At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to continue developing your own expertise, working alongside highly experienced colleagues. It’s a dynamic environment where things are constantly evolving, and new projects to work on, which means you’ll be making a long-term impact on our legacy.

Horticulture

Join one of our horticulture teams and you’ll have regular contact with some of the world’s leading horticulturists. You could be working with our UK RHS Partner Gardens, helping to look after 2,700 allotments, gardening clubs and societies or supporting more than 40 UK plant societies. You may be helping to manage RHS Plant Trials to find the best-performing garden plants, or you involved in managing the RHS Plant Committees who guide the RHS and its work with plants. Whatever your role, you’ll enjoy building on your horticultural knowledge, learning about plants, and helping to excite and educate gardeners of all ages.

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What you could be working on

We get involved in so many different things, that you could be working on all kinds of projects.
Only at the RHS could you:

  • Get involved in long-term sustainable projects, such as creating a beautiful lake that captures water for irrigation
  • Introduce innovations that support biodiversity and connect people to the natural environment
  • Look at every aspect of gardening to make it more sustainable
  • Enjoy work-based learning towards your qualification as a student
  • Contribute to internationally renowned events, such as the RHS flower shows at RHS Chelsea, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Tatton Park and RHS Malvern Spring

  • Celebrate the art and beauty of gardens and gardening by creating fresh, exciting garden spaces
  • Share your enthusiasm for gardening with everyone from under-fives to experienced professionals
  • Manage RHS Plant Trials to help gardeners across the UK find the best plants for their growing conditions
  • Help more people to visit beautiful gardens through our RHS Partner Garden scheme
  • Support communities through allotment societies and gardening clubs
  • Help to guide how the RHS works with plants

Explore more careers with the RHS

Get involved

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.