THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Registered charity 222879 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as R H S, RHS · also registered in Scotland as SC038262 (OSCR)

The RHS was founded in 1804 to inspire passion and excellence in horticulture. We want to enrich everyone's life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. To achieve our aim we undertake scientific research; provide education, training and horticultural advice; support community horticulture projects; and share our renowned gardens and shows with the public.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net loss of £8.2m for the year ended 31 January 2025, driven by inflationary pressures and visitor disruption at RHS Garden Wisley. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves moved from a positive £2.6m to a deficit of £3.6m, though the trustees maintain a going concern basis citing sufficient cash and investment reserves to continue operations for at least 12 months.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Crowe U.K. LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

• Stephenson Harwood Leads Royal Horticultural Society Buy-In law360.com · 13/08/2026
• Royal Horticultural Society appoints Yodel Mobile for RHS Grow App strategy adweek.com · 22/05/2026
• Grangemouth woman and garden expert receives top honour from Royal Horticultural Society falkirkherald.co.uk · 21/04/2026
• Royal Horticultural Society awards Bartlett the Elizabeth Medal of Honour lawnandlandscape.com · 06/04/2026
• RHS Harlow Carr: How Royal Horticultural Society plans to future-proof gardens for drought yorkshirepost.co.uk · 25/01/2026
• Cusworth Hall joins Royal Horticultural Society as partner garden doncasterfreepress.co.uk · 02/12/2025
• The Royal Horticultural Society’s highly anticipated 2026 flower shows have been unveiled london-post.co.uk · 26/11/2025

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House RC000480

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Royal Horticultural Society (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Citi — “Citi is a preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs, a global leader in wealth management and a valued personal ba…” (source page)
• Range Rover — “Range Rover is proud to be the headline sponsor of RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, celebrating British horticulture and craftsmanship.” (source page)
• Addleshaw Goddard — “International Law Firm Addleshaw Goddard supports clients around the world every day in meeting their growth ambitions. The enriching work o…” (source page)
• Weleda — “For over a century, Weleda has been sustainably growing and harnessing the power of plants to create organic skincare products that nourish …” (source page)
• The Newt — “Lying in the heart of cyder country, in an area steeped in cider-making traditions, we take cyder seriously here at The Newt. Blessed with t…” (source page)
• Roebuck Estates — “Nestled in the heart of the Sussex countryside, Roebuck Estates is proud to be the exclusive sparkling wine sponsor of the RHS Hampton Court…” (source page)
• Babylonstoren — “Babylonstoren’s Mourvèdre Rosé is the official rosé at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 2021. Our wines are a combination of the very essen…” (source page)
• Ancestry — “Science and Education” (source page)
• Atkins Ferrie Wealth Management — “Supporting Sponsor of RHS Wisley Flower Show.” (source page)
• Bonne Maman — “Bonne Maman is a supporter at RHS Badminton Flower Show, RHS Sandringham Flower Show and RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show.” (source page)
• Mindful Chef — “Sponsor of RHS Sandringham Flower Show. Mindful Chef believes that good food starts in the ground. As a recipe box and certified B Corp, the…” (source page)
• Noble Caledonia — “Sponsor of RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show. Established in 1991, Noble Caledonia specialises in worldwide small ship cruises and escorted tour…” (source page)
• Pommery — “Established in 1836 by Alexandre-Louis Pommery & Narcisse Greno, the house of Pommery is one of the most prestigious names in Champagne – a …” (source page)
• QVC — “Sponsor of RHS Sandringham Flower Show. My Garden Escape at QVC is delighted to sponsor the ‘100 Sweet Summers’ show garden at RHS Sandringh…” (source page)

UK research funding (UKRI Gateway to Research)

• Cranfield University and The Royal Horticultural Society —
• From Lima to Canton and Beyond: An AI-aided heritage materials research platform for studying globalisation through art —
• Native and invasive ladybirds in a changing U.K. climate —
• Maximising the environmental benefits of gardens through optimal planting choices and understanding of occupants' engagement —
• Air Pollution Solutions for Vulnerable Groups (CleanAir4V) —
• Astro-turfing the city: quantifying the impact of artificial lawns on the structure and function of urban ecosystems —
• Modelling the impact of planting choices and management on the delivery of multiple ecosystem services by domestic gardens —
• Climate and Speciation in the Mediterranean biome —
• Can urban air quality be improved through the use of plant associated bacteria? —
• Harlow Carr Learning Centre —

Property (HM Land Registry)

37 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (29 freehold); recorded price paid £2.4m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Trustpilot: RHS scores 2.0/5 from 278 reviews (source) — reviews usually concern the charity’s shops or services, not its charitable performance.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (463,401 likes) · instagram (442K followers)

Advertised salaries (public job ads)

Roles this charity has advertised on CharityJob, matched on the exact employer name. A different source from the statutory pay bands above: these are asking salaries for vacancies, not what anyone was paid.

• People Business Partner - Change and Employee Experience · Hybrid work in London
• Horticulturist - Trials Garden and Edible trialling · Wisley
• Pinetum & Riverside Horticulturalist (FTC sept 2027) · Wisley
• Pinetum & Riverside Horticulturalist (FTC sept 2027) · Wisley
• Deputy Operations Manager · London

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/01/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 25.9% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 2.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (13/11/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
• Received assets from another charity (21/12/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Keith Charles Frederick Weed CBEchair · trustee of 1 other charity
• Anthony Kirkham
• Claire Rose Austin
• Dame Karen Pierce
• Darren Share
• David Mathers · trustee of 1 other charity
• Elizabeth Margaret Nicholson
• Helen Louise Cox
• James Donald Hitchmough
• Kate Lampard
• Matthew Davies
• Nicholas Dunn
• Prof Nicola Horsley CBE · trustee of 1 other charity
• Ruth Willmott
• Stephen Guy Hill
• Susan Jane Beesley
• Tazim Essani
• Wesley Albert Kerr

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE NORTH OF ENGLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

• THE NORTH OF ENGLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY income £1.4m
• THE ROYAL WELSH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY LIMITED income £7.8m
• THE SHROPSHIRE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY income £280k
• GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT SOCIETY income £5.0m
• ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH LIMITED income £29.3m
• THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN income £9.8m

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.