Great News For Gardeners As All Four RHS Plant Centres Reopen

Published on: 12 May, 2020
Updated on: 14 May, 2020

Lockdown or no, maintenance of plant stock has been an ongoing task at the RHS.

All plant centres at the four RHS Gardens will be open from today (May 13), with enforced social distancing measures and limited numbers of visitors.

Safety measures include, but are not limited to:

Access to external areas only;
Maximum of two people per household allowed in together;
Restrictions on the number of customers allowed in at any one time;
Screens at every checkout;
PPE equipment issued to all staff (including gloves, masks and goggles);
Hand sanitisers at entry and exit points and throughout the centres; and
Managed queuing for social distancing and separate exit and entry points.

The centres will open from 10am to 4pm, seven days a week. RHS gardens, gift shops and all catering outlets will remain closed until further notice.

Sue Biggs, the RHS director-general, said: “We are pleased to reopen our RHS Plant Centres to bring joy, food and beauty into the lives of thousands of gardeners, and it is hugely encouraging that the government recognises the vital role gardening and gardens play in supporting positive mental and physical health.

“We are ever mindful of the world we now live in and will therefore be operating with strict safety measures at all our sites to ensure we protect our visitors and staff who we thank for being patient with us at this time.

“As a charity hit hard by this crisis, I would also like to thank all our members and shoppers who continue to support our vital work in our gardens, science, education and communities.

“Our number one priority is to support the government’s plans to control the spread of the virus and if official guidance changes, we will, of course, adjust immediately.

“The reopening is excellent news for the horticultural industry and will give nurseries and gardening businesses across the country a much-needed boost and opportunity to survive and start selling their plants.”