Our October magazine issue highlights the work of some amazing individuals in the world of horticulture, who are making a difference to people, places and the planet - but there are plenty of ways in which we can all help out.
Getting involved doesn’t have to mean rolling up your sleeves and launching new initiatives. One of the best ways to be a horticultural hero is to support some of the heroic organisations out there.
Here is just a handful to know about.
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- 12 of the top female gardeners leading the way
Heroic horticultural organisations to support
National Garden Scheme
The National Garden Scheme has been around since the early 1900s and has its roots in supporting the health sector by opening private gardens for ‘a shilling a head’. Since then, it’s gained King Charles III as patron and Dame Mary Berry as president, and donated more than £70 million to health and gardening charities - including £3.4 million in 2023 alone.
The organisation also runs live events and workshops, and sells a selection of garden-themed gifts on its website.
If you’re proud of your own garden, why not open it up for the NGS and see others enjoy it too?
Perennial
Perennial was originally founded as The Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution in 1839, providing pensions and retirement accommodation for former horticulturalists who had fallen on hard times.
Today, the organisation works with existing and retired gardeners across a wide range of different areas, from career development to finance, housing and energy, to physical and mental health. Perennial also has resources for gardeners with caring responsibilities or struggling with bereavement, and every year it helps more than 1,600 people across the industry.
The charity owns and manages three gardens too; Fullers Mill Garden in Suffolk, The Laskett Garden in Herefordshire and York Gate Garden near Leeds.
Professional Gardeners’ Trust
Since its launch in 2004, the PGT’s mission has been to make sure those pursuing a role in horticulture have access to the training and education they need to advance in their careers.
Funded by individuals and organisations including The National Garden Scheme (see above) and RHS Bursaries, the PGT provides financial support for gardeners and aspiring horticulturalists who want to boost their skills.
Plant Heritage
Plant Heritage is all about saving plants at risk of extinction. It’s the charity’s mission to conserve the UK’s ‘horticultural heritage’ at a time when diversity in our gardens is diminishing due to pests, diseases, the climate crisis and struggling nurseries.
That’s why it works to accredit new National Plant Collections; there are now over 700 registered groups of plants cared for by Plant Heritage members.
To get involved, why not visit a National Plant Collections open day, or attend one of Plant Heritage’s talks and workshops?
WRAGS (Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme)
WRAGS is run by the WFGA (Working for Gardeners Association), a charity founded by women back in 1899 to support female employment in farming and gardening, and which was later involved in creating the WWII Women’s Land Army.
Now offering paid, part-time and hands-on training for men and women at one of a selection of carefully chosen gardens across the UK, it’s a useful resource for anyone who wants to gain practical horticultural skills and experience.
The WFGA also runs online and in-person workshops and events covering the practical elements of gardening and design.
Thrive
For over four decades, Thrive has championed social and therapeutic horticulture (STH), harnessing the fitness, social and cognitive benefits of gardening to support people with disabilities and mental and physical health conditions.
Not only does it train workers in STH, but it also organises therapy programmes across England and visits care homes, prisons and other community spaces, providing vital support to those who might be struggling.
If you live in London, Reading or Birmingham, you can join the 250+ Thrive volunteers to help out across the organisation’s three sites.
Greenfingers
Founded specifically to support young people in hospices, Greenfingers builds therapeutic outdoor spaces for life-limited children and their families.
So far, it has created more than 70 hospice gardens across the UK, which have been used by over five million children. Greenfingers carefully designs these outdoor areas to encourage play, as well as relaxation, and help young people get outside and closer to nature.
The charity has also attracted a selection of high profile patrons, including the actors Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton.
Trees For Cities
Did you know the trees in London remove 2.4 million tonnes of air pollution every year?
Trees For Cities works to make sure more urban areas and schools benefit in the same way by planting trees across the world. In fact, it’s already established over 1.8 million trees worldwide, including 300,000 across 10 other countries, including Peru, Kenya and Nepal.
In the past year alone, Trees for Cities has built 35 new school projects, benefitting more than 26,000 children.
The charity also encourages communities to grow their own food, eat healthily and forage for seasonal produce.
Maggie’s
Maggie’s builds cancer centres with gardens alongside NHS hospitals, giving patients and their loved ones the chance to unwind and meet with other people undergoing treatment. Each Maggie’s centre has a unique design, with a big kitchen table in the middle and access to individual garden spaces around the edge - all featuring colourful and fragrant plants.
The charity has some impressive people behind it; not only does the Queen fill the role of president, but its ambassadors include Rick Astley and Julian Fellowes.
There are plenty of ways to support Maggie’s; donate once, set up a monthly donation or leave a gift in your will. For a chance to win up to £25,000 every week, you can even take part in the Maggie’s weekly lottery.
Plantlife
According to Plantlife, more than 97 per cent of the UK’s species-rich grassland has disappeared in the last century, while 40 per cent of wild plant and fungi species are at risk of extinction. Plantlife is working to tackle these troubling statistics, restoring conservation areas, getting people back to nature and campaigning for government change.
The organisation runs 24 UK nature reserves - a total of 4,500 acres of land - and works across 2,336 Important Plant Areas (IPAs) in 34 countries. It also supports initiatives like No Mow May, the National Plant Monitoring Scheme and Waxcap Watch, encouraging people to find and record autumn fungi.
Garden Organic
As you might be able to guess, Garden Organic champions organic horticultural methods, delivering courses, webinars, talks and tours from its HQ in Coventry.
Not only does it call on its network of skilled soil scientists, seed savers and industry experts, but it also runs community projects and offers online and in-person training across schools, businesses, prisons and other organisations.
Another big part of Garden Organic is its Heritage Seed Library, created with the aim of preserving heritage veg varieties to share and grow with its 20,000 members. Then there’s the citizen science experiments it runs; members can get involved with new and exciting projects designed to expand our understanding of organic growing.
Royal Horticultural Society
Possibly the most famous horticultural organisation out there, the RHS is known and loved for its five UK gardens including Wisley in Surrey; its many books, magazines and podcasts; and, of course, its iconic Chelsea Flower Show every May.
It’s been around since 1804 and has since become the UK’s leading gardening charity. As well as its UK-based gardens, it has 220 partner gardens across the world, and runs various shows and events throughout the year.
With links to 18 UK universities, the RHS’s research covers everything from climate change to biosecurity to wellbeing. RHS ambassadors include Alan Titchmarsh MBE and Dame Mary Berry, and it has connections with the royal family dating back to 1858 when Prince Albert became president.
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