Membership

Join the Royal National Rose Society today and you will enjoy:

• Free advice from rose experts on how to choose the right roses to grow and selection of companion plants for roses.
• Free advice from rose experts on rose care and rose growing problems.
• Free copy of ‘The Rose’ magazine three times per year.  This beautifully produced magazine is packed with stunning rose photographs as well as practical advice from expert rose growers, topical articles and rose news. 
• Free access to beautiful rose gardens.
• A free Rose handbook.
• Discounts from rose nurseries and on new rose publications.
• The opportunity to show roses you have grown and to attend rose shows.

The Royal National Rose Society has since 2005 been redeveloping their showpiece rose garden at the Society’s headquarters in Chiswell Green, Hertfordshire.

The Royal National Rose Society Garden first opened in 1963 by the then Patron of the Society, the Princess Royal. Since then thousands of visitors have enjoyed the garden and areas have been added to and redesigned over the years.

In 2003 it was decided to refurbish the garden to make them more contemporary and to allow the soil to be improved. Award winning designer, Michael Balston was appointed and worked up a bold new design for the garden.

Early in 2005 the soil was sterilized and then given subsequent treatments of fertilizer to prepare it for planting, the garden therefore had to remain closed.  Before the land was cleared, many members visited the garden and took away plants which are now growing happily in gardens across the country. The hard-landscaping involved new water features and new wheelchair-friendly pathways, which all had to be completed before planting could begin.  We started to plant with bare root roses in Autumn 2005 and planting continued in Autumn 2006 and Autumn 2007; most of the roses were donated by the UK rose trade for which the Society is immensely grateful. In June 2007 the garden was looking presentable enough for the official opening. During the past summer season the garden has improved and has been well recieved by the many visitors. The garden will open again in June 2008 when members and visitors will be able to see for themselves how well it is developing. The whole project is of course a work in progress and still further planting is planned. New show gardens are proposed, planted by rose speciallists such as Peter Beales and David Austin. Plans for the new Memory garden are also in train.

 The garden has already been used for several corporate events and more are planned for 2008. Weddings are also part of the planned future use, permission to use the Edland Pavilion as a venue for civil ceremonies and as the roses grow the Garden of the Rose will surely provide a  popular backdrop for many events.

For more information, telephone membership enquiries on 0845 833 4344. For membership rates or to join on line;    click here