Back

Give a houseplant a home – RHS Plant Rescue Box

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is delighted to introduce a new scheme to save imperfect houseplants from the compost heap. The RHS Plant Rescue Box, which will be made available at RHS Garden Wisley from 28 January 2023, will reduce waste while also bringing houseplants to a wider audience.

The initiative has been created in partnership with Sarah Gerrard-Jones, author of The Plant Rescuer, who won Gold for her houseplant studio ‘The Plant Clinic’ at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022. Working alongside the RHS, Sarah is championing the idea of saving imperfect houseplants in an attempt to highlight the importance of sustainability in horticulture, as well as the benefits of gardening on mental wellbeing. The RHS Plant Rescue Box gives plants that might have been thrown away a second chance, and prevents valuable resources from being wasted.

The boxes will retail at between £10-20 and will each contain at least six houseplants that require a bit of TLC. Customers will not be able to see what’s in the box before purchasing but each one will contain a variety of indoor plants.

Houseplants have enjoyed a huge boom in popularity in recent years, particularly among those who lack outdoor space at home, and these affordable boxes will provide an accessible option to new customers looking to get started in indoor gardening without making a big financial investment.

The waste-reducing scheme will be rolled out just in time for the Houseplant Takeover – Deep Sea Dive at RHS Garden Wisley, so visitors can get inspired to create imaginative indoor displays of greenery, before picking up their very own starter kit to take home.

Sarah Gerrard-Jones, author of The Plant Rescuer:
“We’ve moved so far away from the ‘make do and mend’ mentality of previous generations that we have a tendency to chuck anything away, from faulty appliances and out-of-style clothing to vegetables and plants that are deemed imperfect. A culture obsessed with perfection leads to millions of healthy plants being discarded. The RHS Plant Rescue Box is a fantastic way to give wonky plants a second chance. The affordable boxes are a brilliant way of reducing wastage and making the industry more sustainable, and the rewards are great – with a little bit of love these houseplants will thrive and bring life to their new homes. Everyone’s a winner!”
                                                                 – ENDS –

Notes to editors

For further information contact Gina Miller [email protected] T: 0207 821 3042
 
About the RHS
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) was founded in 1804 and is the UK’s largest gardening charity.
 
The RHS vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place via its inspirational gardens and shows, science research and advisory, extensive library collections and far-reaching education and community programmes. With over 600,000 members the RHS also shares its horticultural knowledge and expertise with millions of people every year through its website and publications.
 
In 2021, the RHS launched its Sustainability Strategy, committing to be net positive for nature and people by 2030. The supporting RHS Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign will continue to harness the power of the UK’s 30 million gardeners to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
 
We are solely funded by our members, visitors and supporters.
 
For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk
 
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

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.