Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Gardens in the UK

The Royal Horticultural Society, or RHS, is a charity that promotes gardening and horticulture in the United Kingdom. The RHS hosts special events such as lectures, forums and flower shows to increase awareness and inform the public of the importance of gardening. The RHS also maintains four public gardens, for the enjoyment of the public and educational purposes. The RHS gardens include the Wisley Gardens by Wisley Village in Surrey, Hyde Hall in Essex, Rosemoor in Devon, and Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire.

The Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Gardens are the largest of the four RHS gardens. In fact, RHS Wisley is the third most visited public garden in all of the United Kingdom. Wisley Garden was founded during the late 19^th century and was originally known as "Oakwood Experimental Garden." In 1903, the Wisley Gardens were donated to the Royal Horticultural Society.

Today, RHS Wisley spans 240 acres and is considered the "flagship" garden of the Royal Horticultural Society. The beautiful gardens are surrounded by romantic Tudor buildings.

The bicentennial celebration of the Royal Horticultural Society took place in 2004 and was celebrated with the opening of the Wisley Gardens Glasshouse. The structure resembles and cathedral and covers the same amount of space as ten tennis courts. The RHS Wisley Glasshouse is surrounded by a beautiful lake that provides a home for dragonflies, mollusks, damselflies and frogs. Inside the Wisley Garden Glasshouse are representations of three climatic zones-moist temperate, dry temperate and tropical climates. Visitors can walk along a winding pathway and see a variety of interesting and rare plants in their natural climates. The path also passes waterfalls and pools, as well as several rocky outcrops.

Beyond feasting the eyes, the RHS Wisley Glasshouse serves another important function: Horicultural Education. The Royal Horticultural Society built the Wisley Gardens Glasshouse with the intention of modeling gardening techniques for the public, in hopes of visitors imitating the ideas at home. Plants found inside the Wisley Garden Glasshouse can only thrive as indoor or windowsill plants, but they make a beautiful addition to any home. These plants include Macrantha flowers, Pleomele trees, Chinese Hibiscus, Cape Primroses and Golden Barrel Cacti.

The fruit field is another favorite among Wisley Garden visitors. Like the Wisley Gardens Glasshouse, the RHS Wisley fruit field models gardening techniques that can easily be used in home gardens. The fruit field includes a variety of fruits, such as gooseberries, strawberries and currants. There are over 700 apple trees in the fruit field, which look beautiful when viewed from the fruit mount. All the types of fruit grown in the Wisley Garden fruit field can be purchased in the Plant Centre.

The RHS Wisley rose gardens are especially beautiful. The Golden Jubilee Rose Garden is often used during workshops, such as the summer 2009 workshop about choosing cultivars. Currently, the Weather Hill Rose Garden is being redeveloped. It will be renamed the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden.

Other must-sees at RHS Wisley include Battleston Hill, home to a multitude of rhododendrons and azaleas, the rock garden, alpine meadow, wild garden, walled garden and the Seven Acres, in which colorful peonies thrive. The Seven Acres are also home to popular Wisley Garden events, including the annual flower show, children's mazes in the fall, and the Wisley Gardens Music Festival.

The Royal Horticultural Society has truly created a piece of heaven in the Wisley Gardens. RHS Wisley is a wonderful place to learn about gardening, dazzle the senses and escape the stresses of everyday life.

Source: www.rhs.org.uk