The Garden (RHS magazine)
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| The Garden (RHS magazine) | |
|---|---|
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| Title | The Garden |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Category | Horticulture |
| Publisher | Royal Horticultural Society |
| Firstdate | 1866 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Garden (RHS magazine) The Garden is the monthly magazine of the Royal Horticultural Society, covering horticulture, botanical science, garden design and plant cultivation. It serves members of the Royal Horticultural Society as well as gardeners, landscape architects and botanical institutions across the United Kingdom and internationally. The magazine blends practical advice, scientific reporting and cultural commentary linked to historic estates, botanical gardens and plant collections.
History
Founded in 1866, the magazine emerged during the Victorian era alongside institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and societies including the Linnean Society and the Royal Society. Early issues reflected contemporary interests shared with figures like Joseph Dalton Hooker and William Hooker and paralleled publications such as Gardeners' Chronicle and The Gardener's Magazine. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries it intersected with movements associated with William Morris, Gertrude Jekyll and the Arts and Crafts movement, and reported on acclimatization experiments in places like the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Chelsea Physic Garden. During wartime periods it covered allotments, Victory Gardens and collaborations with government-backed initiatives. Postwar decades showed links to conservation groups including the National Trust and botanical research at institutions such as Kew, Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Natural History Museum, while engaging with contemporary debates around suburban planning, led by figures associated with the Garden City movement and councils in London and Manchester.
Editorial Profile and Content
The magazine publishes feature articles, practical horticultural guidance, plant trials and research summaries, aligning with scientific work from universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Edinburgh. Regular sections examine topics connected to notable estates like Hidcote Manor Garden and Sissinghurst Castle Garden, plant collectors linked to Kew and Oxford, and global plant exploration tied to expeditions similar to those undertaken by David Douglas and Joseph Banks. Reviews and previews discuss garden shows such as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and collaborations with institutions like the Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor and Harlow Carr. Editorial pages reference conservation efforts by Plantlife, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and international organisations such as Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The magazine also reports on cultivation techniques used in glasshouses akin to those at Kew and in public landscaping projects commissioned by local authorities in Birmingham and Edinburgh.
Publication and Distribution
Published monthly by the Royal Horticultural Society, the magazine is distributed to RHS members and sold by specialist retailers and newsagents across the United Kingdom and in export markets such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Circulation strategies have evolved with partnerships to institutions such as the British Library, the National Trust, and university libraries at Cambridge, Oxford and Glasgow, and with online platforms affiliated with BBC Gardening, The Telegraph and The Guardian gardening pages. Print production historically used London-based printers and later regional presses; digitisation and online archives have been influenced by collaborations with the Bodleian Library, the British Library and academic repositories.
Contributors and Notable Editors
Contributors have included horticulturists, botanists and garden writers connected to major names and institutions: plantsmen in the tradition of Christopher Lloyd, Vita Sackville-West, and Lawrence Johnston; scientists from Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Millennium Seed Bank; garden designers referencing the legacies of capability Brown, Humphry Repton and Gertrude Jekyll. Editors and columnists have engaged with academic peers at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Royal Horticultural Society itself. Freelance writers and photographers contributing essays, plant portraits and reportage have ties to magazines such as Country Life, Gardens Illustrated and BBC Gardeners’ World, and to broadcast presenters associated with the BBC and ITV gardening programming.
Awards and Recognition
The magazine and its contributors have received recognition from horticultural institutions and media bodies, paralleling awards like the Victoria Medal of Honour and the Veitch Memorial Medal awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society, as well as journalism prizes sometimes sponsored by bodies such as the Garden Media Guild and the British Society of Magazine Editors. Features in the magazine have been cited in academic work, garden history studies at universities including Reading and Sheffield, and by heritage organisations like English Heritage. Coverage of plant trials and cultivar assessments has influenced awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and trials conducted at RHS Wisley and other testing grounds.
Influence and Reception
The magazine has influenced gardening practice, plant conservation priorities and garden design trends across Britain and in international horticultural circles, intersecting with policy discussions involving local councils, conservation NGOs such as Plantlife and the National Trust, and botanical networks including Botanic Gardens Conservation International. It is frequently referenced by garden writers in outlets such as The Guardian, The Times and Country Life, and by academic researchers at institutions like Kew, Edinburgh and Oxford in studies of plant introduction, biodiversity and landscape history. Reception among readers ranges from amateur gardeners influenced by practical columns to professional horticulturists who cite its plant trials, while critiques have engaged with debates led by environmental NGOs and urban planning discussions in cities such as London, Manchester and Bristol.
Category:Magazines published in the United Kingdom Category:Horticultural magazines Category:Royal Horticultural Society