The RHS Houseplant Advisory Group - explained

Visitors to RHS Wisley got a chance to vote for their favourite houseplant at the recent Houseplant Takeover.

Visitors to RHS Wisley got a chance to vote for their favourite houseplant at the recent Houseplant Takeover. Photograph: Jane Perrone.

I'm a member of the Royal Horticultural Society Houseplant Advisory Group. Never heard of it? Well I want to change that. 

Below is a guest column by Chris Moncrieff, who is head of horticultural relations at the Royal Horticultural Society. He explains why the Advisory Group was set up, and what it does: scroll to the end of this email for a full list of members. You can follow Chris Moncrieff on Twitter and Insta. I'd love to know what you think about the Houseplant Advisory Group: drop me a comment below!

It is fair to say that houseplants were not at the top of any internal RHS discourse in years gone past, but times are changing for the better. The RHS has worked with and promoted many plant types over the centuries since its inception as a society in 1804. Orchids, perhaps the most famous of the ornamental plants of that era, held their first RHS Orchid Committee meeting in 1889 ... followed by additional advisory groups for herbaceous, tender and woody plants. You can see a full list of RHS advisory groups here.

In 2019, a new focused advisory group for flowers and houseplants was set up by the then-RHS Director General Sue Biggs, who had noted the growing interest in houseplants and particularly the change of a younger demographic as a possible new route to excite a new generation of plant lovers.

Bromeliads on display at the RHS WIsley Houseplant Takeover 2023. Photograph: Jane Perrone.

Why did it take more than a century for houseplants to receive their own voice at the RHS? The answer can be found in some of the recent statistics surrounding RHS houseplant sales. Houseplants took a 15% share of all the Society's plant sales in 2022. So far in 2023 this is running at 28% of all plant sales, a 5% increase year-on-year. The introduction of the Houseplant Takeover in 2020 generated large crowds at RHS Wisley, resulting in a 177% increase in the sales of cacti and succulents in the wake of this year's event. Interestingly the focus of foliage plants is beginning to swing back towards more sales of flowering plants, particularly orchids. The introduction of the Houseplant Studios at the Chelsea Flower Show as an ongoing exhibit also demonstrate the RHS’s serious interest in promoting these plants.

The new Houseplants Advisory Group was formed of committed houseplant professionals including growers, retailers and journalists. (Scroll to the bottom of this email to see a full list of committee members). They meet regularly to provide members of RHS Retail and Shows teams with up-to-date information on how trends are changing, and have helped guide RHS strategy when deciding on new content for shows, and retail sales introductions. They also advise on wider issues such as sustainability and in particular peat-free substrates, helping to guide the RHS’s strategy and ensure that we remain at the forefront in the houseplant sector.

The group has additionally provided valuable new opportunities and links to growers/exhibitors and associated contacts that will help to ensure that the RHS retail houseplant ranges remain strong for many years to come. There are new and exciting exhibits of houseplants planned at all of the RHS events this year, too. Houseplants offer a true beacon of hope and make the future truly exciting, with new UK plant nurseries entering the sustainable houseplant growing arena, the real opportunity to replace costly imports, and accessibility for all from the youngest children right through to the older generation. 

Houseplant Advisory Group members list

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my twice monthly email newsletter about the UK houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.

Houseplants, The Plant LedgerJane PerroneComment