Societies & Associations
The Lambeth Horticultural Society was first established in 1951. The Society is run entirely by volunteers whose aim is to promote horticulture by:
Organising flower shows in Spring and Summer and running the Flower Show section of Lambeth Country Show on behalf of Lambeth Council.
Running day trips by coach to important gardens in the South-East of England.
Organising talks on horticultural subjects.
Running a shop (The Hut) staffed by volunteers and open only to members where garden supplies are available at discount prices.
Publishing a Newsletter three times a year.
There are now about 500 members who pay a fee of £7 per year. Membership is open to anyone – you don’t have to live in Lambeth.
Only members are able to use The Hut (the Society’s shop) and only members receive the Newsletter (electronically or physically) and the monthly e-mail giving details of Society activities. Some activities are open to non-members (the Talks programme and the Flower Shows in particular) but Members get priority for bookings on visits to gardens.
The Little Common Horticultural Society is a warm and friendly society devoted to providing an interesting and enjoyable experience for all our members. We are active in the Little Common and Bexhill communities of East Sussex.
We very much welcome visitors and new members, whether experienced or novice. Do come along and try us out one evening, it costs only £2 as a visitor. Our annual membership is fantastic value at only £7 – this gives you free entry to all our monthly shows and meetings.
Our members range from those with decades of professional horticultural experience, talented amateur gardeners to complete novices who simply enjoy gardening, being in gardens, trips out and cream teas!
It isn’t only gardening. There are also craft, photography and domestic categories in both the monthly and annual shows.
Visit the Scottish branchNational Auricula & Primula Society – Auriculas are members of the Genus Primula which is a large family of plants comprising over 425 species and many thousands of hybrids.
The auricula first appeared in European gardens around the middle of the sixteenth century. The cultivated forms which we grow today have been developed for over 350 years as Florist Flowers. The word florist, used in this sense, refers to a gardener who grows and raises plants to agreed standards. The use of the word to mean a flower seller is a relatively recent development.
The different types comprise Show, Alpine, Double and Border auriculas. Show types include green and grey edged, selfs, stripes and fancies. Alpines are either gold-centred or light-centred.
In addition we also grow the gold-laced polyanthus, the only member of the primrose family grown to florists’ standards.
Although originally formed purely to grow auriculas and gold-laced polyanthus the three independent sections of the Society, all based in England, cover the whole range of primula species and hybrids including such popular plants as primroses and polyanthus.
The National Dahlia Society was formed in 1881 and for over a century has given unbroken service to gardeners interested in this wonderful flower. We are now a registered charity, which seeks to promote the dahlia by means of exhibitions (shows), trials and conferences. We are the world’s largest all-dahlia society and annually hold our main exhibitions at RHS Wisley and the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, Yorkshire, with reduced admission for members of course!
Twice a year – with our Winter Bulletin and summer publication, The Dahlia Annual – we keep members informed on every aspect of dahlia news, with items covering culture, trials, shows, cultivar selection, etc. These books are issued free to members, and in addition, on enrolment, our current Classified Directory (containing lists of recommended cultivars) and ‘Dahlias For You’ by Ted Collins are also sent free of charge to the new member.
Other events are organised annually, like our conferences, held around the country in March. Mention must be made of the Society’s unique information service, that helps members with any problems they might have and provides for personal contact with our representatives in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. We also have linking contacts with international dahlia societies, this forming a chain of information for our members that spans the globe.
Norfolk Organic Group is a membership organisation of about 200 gardeners, smallholders, farmers and others interested in organic food.
We are affiliated to and act as a local group for Garden Organic, the national charity for organic growing (formerly the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA), www.gardenorganic.org.uk) and the Soil Association,who campaign for planet-friendly food and farming (www.soilassociation.org).
Norfolk Organic Group aims to promote the organic movement in Norfolk by encouraging people to grow organically and to use resources sustainably, maintaining the link between people, food and the soil.
The Lily Group is the oldest of the RHS plant groups of the Royal Horticultural Society and is based in London, UK. Formed as a Committee in 1931 and as a Group in 1932, we celebrated our seventy fifth anniversary in 2007.
Lilies in the wild are distributed across the Northern hemisphere- China, Korea, Japan, Siberia, Asia, the Caucasus, Europe and North America. Yet given the right conditions they will grow in many other parts of the world. It is a love of Lilies and the challenge to grow them which unites the Group’s few hundred members of all ages, of whom approximately a third are from overseas. Apart from the UK they are scattered throughout Europe, in Canada and the USA, in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, in Japan and Asia. Thus the potential for exchange of knowledge and seed is considerable.
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804, and our core objective is to be the world’s leading gardening charity by inspiring passion and excellence in the science, art and practice of horticulture. In everything we do, we will aim to use our guiding principles.
Our strategic objectives
1. Be known, loved and trusted as the charity for all gardeners
2. Safeguard and advance the science, art and practice of horticulture for the benefit of future generations and the environment
3. Transform communities through gardening
4. Create world-leading horticulture that inspires people to garden
4. Nurture and grow our membership throughout the UK
6. Provide a voice for all gardeners, sharing and building expert knowledge
7. Delight our customers with exceptional service and products
8. Be a great place to work where everyone makes a difference
9. Have efficient business practices that deliver maximum income for our charitable purpose
10.Make horticulture a career to be proud of.
We want to enrich everyone’s life through plants and make the UK a greener, more beautiful place.
The Scottish Rock Garden Club was founded in Edinburgh in 1933 by a small group of enthusiasts who were interested in promoting the cultivation of alpine and rock garden plants. Originally formed to host meetings and shows, through the years the SRGC added a journal and conferences along with the international seed exchange.
Now a registered charity the Club has grown with thousands of enthusiastic members in 38 countries all around the world. The SRGC is the largest horticultural society in Scotland and considered by many to be the friendliest and most accessible in the World. The SRGC supports local Groups in many parts of Scotland and the North of England and is always open to helping form new groups.
The main remit of the SRGC is to spread the word and share the fascination for the plants at every level of expertise catering for all from the absolute beginner and the world’s top professionals at the same time.
The Soil Association was formed in 1946 to create a better world – one where we farm responsibly, eat healthily and live in balance with the environment. Over the intervening 70 years we have championed organic farming and food, campaigned on a wide range of issues, innovated and delivered real change in the world. And now as a result of the EU referendum, our country faces crucial choices about how to shape the future of food, farming and the countryside.
Much has changed since the Soil Association was born in 1946. The world’s resources are being put under increasing pressure by intensive food and farming systems. Working with farmers, growers and researchers, we’re championing practical solutions to farming’s modern day challenges.
Everything we do champions organic principles and practice, to secure the health and vitality of people, farm animals and nature.
Tatton Garden Society is one of Britain’s foremost botanic and horticultural societies, with its own 11 hectare (28 acre) arboretum and botanic site open to the public and which is one of Cheshire’s “Gardens of Distinction”.
Tatton Garden Society was formed in 1962. Its purpose is the promotion of science and research in horticulture for the benefit of the public. The Society is a registered charity. We are affiliated to the Royal Botanical & Horticultural Society of Manchester & the Northern Counties and affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society Member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
The Society operates through a Management Committee and a series of sub-committees covering the main activities which include the management of the Society’s 28 acre arboretum, summer visits to notable gardens, winter lectures, plant sales and social events.