Societies & Associations
UK based society promoting the growing of Australian and New Zealand plants. The Australasian Plant Society started more than 20 years ago with a small group of individuals meeting to discuss growing Australian plants in the Northern Hemisphere. After two years, it was decided to start a formal society, and so the Australian Plant Society was formed.
Historic Roses Group – Founded in 1990 by members of the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) with a particular interested in roses of historical importance, including those no longer widely grown and rose species and their hybrids.
The Group publishes the Historic Rose Journal twice yearly, mounts exhibits relating to the history of the rose at horticultural shows, arranges garden visits both in the UK and abroad and organises conferences. Currently it is engaged in a project to establish a national collection of British bred roses.
Membership of the Group can be independent of the RNRS.
What are the benefits of joining The Historic Roses Group ?
Meeting other historic rose enthusiasts – sharing their knowledge, ideas and ways of using historic roses in a garden setting.
Receiving twice yearly the Group’s Historic Rose Journal containing a wealth of informative and interesting articles by internationally acknowledged authors on the history of the rose – plus the annual Group Newsletter.
The opportunity to join fellow members on tours of outstanding rose gardens in Europe and the UK.
The opportunity to attend conferences with a wide range of expert speakers on all aspects of the history and cultivation of the rose
Opportunity to assist on the HRG stand at horticultural shows.
The National Begonia Society was formed in 1948 the Society has members throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. We have representatives based throughout the country who organise Area Shows & Meetings and are available to offer advice to members.
Promote and encourage the more extended culture of begonias. Though there are thousands of begonias (species and hybrids) known and grown throughout the world there is no doubt that in the UK the most popular one grown is the large flowered tuberous double. The Society wishes to encourage many more members to cultivate a much wider range of begonia species and hybrids.
The Royal Forestry Society has a diverse membership of 3,500+ members including woodland owners, professional foresters, arborists, countryside professionals, conservationists, lecturers, students and people with an active interest in learning about the care of woods and trees. Everybody is welcome. We do not represent the interests of any single group and so are a source of unbiased information for anyone caring for woodlands.
The work of the RFS is funded through donations, grants, legacies and corporate sponsorship, together with membership subscriptions.
East of England Apples and Orchards Project is working to ensure a future for local orchard fruits and orchards. There are around 250 local varieties of apple, pear, plum, and cherry that come from the seven counties of our region – Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. These varieties and their orchard habitat need to be preserved for their local significance, genetic diversity, as local food sources and for their landscape and wildlife value. There are also hundreds of ‘lost’ fruit varieties known only from written records. Maybe you can help us find them? There are many ways to help us. You could become a member; buy our fruit trees; sign up for a workshop; come to an Apple Day; buy local-grown fruit or help us survey orchards.
The Alpine Garden Society was founded in 1929 with the aim of promoting an interest in all aspects of alpine plants, rock gardening and rock garden plants, in fact any small hardy plants and bulbs, their cultivation in rock gardens and plant conservation in their natural habitats. We are one of the largest specialist garden societies in the world. Our membership includes amateur gardeners, plant enthusiasts, professional growers, botanists, naturalists, photographers and artists, as well as those who are just beginning to discover the fascination of alpines.
Whatever your interest in alpine and rock garden plants we believe our Society has something to offer everyone.
Hardy Plant Society – We love hardy perennials for their variety, colours, shapes, sizes and longevity. We help each other to grow them better, to try different species and we exchange and spread information about them.
Most of us are in the UK but some garden outside it. Some of us are experts, like our President, Roy Lancaster, the renowned plant explorer, some of us are beginners and most of us are somewhere in-between, but we all want to learn more to make our planting more satisfying and to enjoy our gardens more.
Being members of the Hardy Plant Society gives us more opportunities to meet others, in local groups and special interest groups focusing on a particular plant family or growing conditions; to attend National Society events; to obtain a wide range of perennial plants and take part in our Seed Distribution Scheme and, by being involved in our Conservation Scheme, help keep garden-worthy plants in cultivation by as many people as possible.
Joining the National Hardy Plant Society means you can join other members in a wide range of gardening activities.
Once you’ve joined us we’ll invite you also to join the local group or minigroup nearest to you. There are over 40, so one will probably be reasonably close by. Each group sets its own programme but will usually include talks by local or national speakers, garden visits and plant sales. Some also organise plant sales open to the public and short garden tours. Most produce a newsletter.
The North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS) is a leading gardening charity set up more than 100 years ago to support and promote horticulture across the north. The society organises and runs the twice yearly Harrogate Flower Shows, widely regarded as the biggest and most prestigious independent shows in the gardening year.
Both the spring and autumn events host a range of ‘shows within a show’ enabling dozens of specialist gardening groups to hold their annual shows, promote their work and recruit new members, free of charge. From dahlias to daffodils and bees to bonsai, the specialist societies have become an integral part of our events, including the National Vegetable Society (NVS) and the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS).
Profits from the Harrogate Flower Shows are handed back to the NEHS, to enable the charity to continue its important work in promoting horticulture. In 2012 the society launched a new grants programme to provide funding for community projects in the north of England. More than 70 groups have since benefited from grants, adding to the range of financial support already provided for gardening organisations, such as the Chartered Institute of Horticulture’s ‘Young Horticulturalist of the Year’ Competition.
Fernhurst Horticultural Society is your local gardening club. Anyone who is interested in plants and gardening is welcome to join no matter what type of garden they have – large or small – established or new – a conservatory – or pot plants on the patio.
The origins of the Society date back to 1912 when a Flower Show Committee was formed to organise an annual show. The Flower Show was held every year without a break until in 1935 the Horticultural Society was founded to take over from the Flower Show Committee and expand the range of activities. Shows have been held every year since except for the war years and in 1948 the Society was affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society.
The aim of the Society is to encourage interest in gardening and provide opportunities for members to exchange experience, and increase their knowledge of plants and gardens. Three types of activity are organised each year the shows in spring, and autumn, days out by coach to visit notable gardens or events, and monthly evening talks by visiting lecturers during the winter. In addition the Society participates in the Fernhurst Revels.
We welcome new members and the annual subscription is just £5. Check out our membership page for details of the many benefits of becoming a member. Find out more about the Society by reading a copy of the Schedule, which is available at both the Post Office and the Fernhurst Centre. For further information contact the secretary Bob Pennington by email or telephone 01428 664406
If you have discovered the delights of growing streptocarpus, this site is the place for you. With the help of the British Streptocarpus Society, you can expand your collection and knowledge and join the many members who share your enthusiasm.
The Society was formed in September 1999 especially for Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) growers with small, medium or large collections. The current membership is just over 550. We welcome new members with a wide range of growing knowledge and experience. Members range from beginners with a few plants on their windowsills to expert growers with many years of experience. We are happy to help new members to increase their expertise and enjoyment of streptocarpus growing.