Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society

The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, also known as the Caley, is the national horticultural society of Scotland, and was founded in 1809. Members include both amateur and professional, generalists, specialists and those who simply like gardens and gardening. The aim of the society is to inspire, encourage and support the science, art and practice of all types of horticulture in Scotland and to advance education in gardening and horticulture for everyone. It was a founding part in the establishment of 'Gardening Scotland'.and in the formation of the 'Scottish Gardeners Forum', organisations with which it continues to maintain strong links.

WWW thecaley.org.uk IG thecaley

Leadership

The Princess Royal is the current patron of the RCHS.
The current president is Lewis Normand, recent past presidents have included David Knott SHM, Pam Whittle CBE, George Anderson MBE SHM and Professor Fred T. Last.
The society's secretary/administrator is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the society. Previous secretaries include Julie Muir, Alison Murison, Tom Mabbott, who was appointed an MBE for services to Scottish Horticulture, John MacLennan, and Dr. John MacKay. The first secretary was Dr. Andrew Duncan who was also involved with the formation of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Awards

Each year the society presents a range of medals and awards that recognise an individual's contribution to Scottish horticulture. These include:

the Scottish Horticultural Medal SHM
the Andrew Duncan Medal
the Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Medal in Horticulture
the Dr Patrick Neill Medal,.
the Carter-Patterson Memorial Medal.

Charitable Aims

The core charitable aim of the society is to advance education in gardening and horticulture for the public benefit. In order to fulfil this aim the society

maintains key elements of Saughton Park, and a large demonstration allotment,
runs a horticultural award scheme called 'Grow and Learn', that recognises individual progress and achievement through experiential learning and personal development for people with complex learning needs or a learning disability.
offers an innovative programme of events, workshops and talks for everyone.

Events

The society holds a number of shows at Saughton Park. The annual Spring Bulb Show is held on the first weekend April and other shows including Auricula & Primula, Cacti & Succulents, and early Autumn Show at Saughton Park as well as an Apple day in early October.

Publications

Publications include an annual quality journal, The Caldeonian Gardener, focusing on horticulture in Scotland.

Partnerships

The society is a key partner, along with City of Edinburgh Council in the re-development of Saughton Park, Edinburgh. The society's base at Saughton provides an office base along with teaching and demonstration areas within the park.