RHS Membership - otherwise known as a jolly nice surprise

The RHS, or Royal Horticultural Society, is a charity that was founded in 1804 and has just celebrated its 208th birthday! It was founded by the brilliant Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood as the The Horticultural Society of London.

During the previous 208 years the RHS has achieved many things, from collecting plants and developing gardens, to sending plant collecters to many places throughout the world and trailing many different plants to ensure we can have the best in our gardens.

I've been interested in the RHS for many years now, but while I've not been 100% it has become increasingly important. I recently read A Passion for Plants, a companion book to a BBC series from 2007, that talks about the history of the RHS and the role it plays. This really switched me on to the RHS and I'm enjoying learning more about them. The outcome is that I've been eyeing up membership for a couple of months.

So imagine my surprise yesterday when I saw the post and there was an envelope with the RHS logo, bidding me 'Welcome'. I opened it in a rush, without really thinking about how it came to have my name on it. Then it dawned on me, my partner, Lucy, must have gotten us memberships - as there was an envelope with her name on it too. I was, and am still, so excited. Not only can we visit the 4 RHS gardens, but 140 other gardens! This includes Normanby Hall near to my home town of Scunthorpe, which is brilliant as I used to be a 'junior ranger' there and do enjoy going back to visit (apart from the extortionate price the council now charge!).

So thank you Lucy and hello RHS!

For more information visit the RHS Website.