Ask ten British gardeners why they joined the RHS and you will get ten different answers: for some it is the monthly magazine, for others it is the pleasure of walking into a world-famous garden without looking at the ticket price. The RHS membership model is built on a simple promise — free entry to the charity’s five flagship gardens plus more than 220 partner gardens — but the details are quieter, and they matter.
In 2024 the individual rate listed on the RHS join page worked out at £47.25, which is less than two or three day tickets at a garden like RHS Wisley if you buy on the gate.
Individual membership (2024)
£47.25
RHS join page
Largest RHS garden
Wisley (240 acres)
RHS Wisley page
Main RHS gardens: 5 · RHS Partner Gardens: 220+ · Individual membership in 2024: £47.25 · Largest RHS garden: Wisley (240 acres) · Visitors to Wisley each year: roughly 1.2 million
Before you compare membership benefits, it helps to see the full package that the RHS is offering.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of main RHS gardens | 5, including RHS Garden Wisley |
| RHS Partner Gardens | 220+ independent gardens with member access at selected times |
| Individual membership rate | £47.25 in 2024 |
| Largest RHS garden | RHS Garden Wisley, around 240 acres |
| Annual visitors to RHS Garden Wisley | Roughly 1.2 million |
| RHS founded | 1804 |
What are the five RHS gardens?
The five main RHS gardens are Wisley (Surrey), Harlow Carr (North Yorkshire), Hyde Hall (Essex), Rosemoor (Devon), and Bridgewater (Greater Manchester). Each has its own character, but all are free for members.
Location and features of each main garden
RHS Wisley, the flagship, is the largest at 240 acres and draws around 1.2 million visitors yearly. Harlow Carr, in Yorkshire, offers streamside gardens and an alpine house. Hyde Hall in Essex sits on a hilltop with panoramic views and a dry garden. Rosemoor in Devon has the RHS’s largest collection of plants in the West Country. Bridgewater, opened in 2021, features a historic walled garden and community focus.
The takeaway: The five gardens are spread across England, so location is the deciding factor for most members.
What does RHS membership include?
RHS membership is not just a card you show at the gate; it is a full membership package. It includes free entry to all five RHS gardens, RHS (the UK’s leading gardening charity) has confirmed, plus access to more than 220 RHS Partner Gardens at selected times. Members also get priority access and reduced-rate tickets to RHS Flower Shows.
The partner network is where the real value lies: a local Partner Garden you can visit often often makes the membership worthwhile.
The other headline benefit is The Garden magazine. It arrives as part of the membership, and non-members can subscribe separately if they only want the reading material.
Which gardens are free with RHS membership?
All five main RHS gardens are free for members. Additionally, more than 220 RHS Partner Gardens offer free entry at selected times. National Trust properties are not included.
The practical value is in the garden list rather than the magazine.
Which is the biggest RHS garden?
RHS Wisley, at 240 acres, is the largest. It is also the most visited, with roughly 1.2 million annual visitors.
Which is the oldest RHS garden?
RHS Wisley has been a garden since 1878, though the society itself was founded in 1804. Harlow Carr opened as a trial ground in 1949.
Which RHS garden should you visit first?
If you have time for one RHS garden, RHS Wisley is the strongest introduction. It is the RHS’s flagship Wisley site, the largest of the five, and it draws around 1.2 million visitors a year. For a first-time visitor it delivers what people picture when they imagine an RHS garden: scale, colour, borders, glasshouses and plenty of space to lose half a day.
If you do not live near Wisley, the best first visit is the RHS garden you will actually reach more than once. A local Partner Garden can be the smarter starting point because the travel cost is lower and it gives you clearer evidence of the membership value.
Wisley is the safe big-ticket answer, but the quiet Partner Garden down the road is often the reason the membership does or does not get renewed.
The implication: your choice depends on distance and frequency of visits.
Which is the best RHS garden to visit?
There is no single best garden; it depends on what you value. For a plant-focused day out, Wisley shines. For a more intimate experience, Rosemoor or Harlow Carr might suit better.
The pattern: The best garden for you is the one you can visit more than once without travel fatigue.
Is RHS membership worth it at £47.25?
The financial question is not whether the card costs more than one day out — the better question is how many days you will use. If you are close enough to visit a main garden several times a year, the membership pays for itself quickly. If you are planning a wedding-trip style visit to Wisley from another region, a single ticket may be enough.
The more interesting reason to renew is the partner network. RHS members can use selected Partner Gardens at RHS membership terms, but you must check the seasonal entry rules. Some gardens open to members during limited windows only, so the pass works best for people who plan around the list rather than expecting every garden to be open every day.
- Best if you want: multiple visits to RHS flagship gardens.
- Best if you travel: a membership that can be used across the country.
- Weaker if you only visit once: paying on the gate may be cheaper.
The catch: Non-members who visit a single garden once will pay less than the annual fee.
Does RHS membership include National Trust gardens?
No. RHS membership is a horticultural membership, not a heritage pass, and it does not include National Trust properties. The RHS and the National Trust are separate organisations with separate membership rules. If your priority is historic houses, countryside estates or places like National Trust’s Sissinghurst Castle Garden, you need a separate National Trust pass.
This is the most common point of confusion in the comparison. RHS membership gives you a structured garden experience, whereas the National Trust is a very different day out with its own list of places and priorities.
If a heritage day-out is your main goal, RHS membership will frustrate you no matter how many beautiful borders the RHS opens.
What are some good alternatives to Kew Gardens?
If you live nowhere near an RHS garden, do not force the membership. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Cambridge University Botanic Garden are both strong non-RHS alternatives in their own right. They are independent of the RHS scheme, but they serve the same basic purpose: a serious horticultural day out with plants as the main reason for the trip.
National Trust gardens such as Sissinghurst also belong on a serious garden-lover’s list, but they are not part of the RHS network. That is not a problem if you know what you are looking for; the issue is that an RHS membership will not unlock those places.
For structure, the RHS offer wins. For landscape-led drama, Edinburgh and Cambridge are excellent. For literary heritage and outdoor rooms, Sissinghurst is a completely different experience.
To see how the main options compare side by side, put them in one table.
| What you get | RHS membership | National Trust membership | Pay as you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main RHS gardens included | All 5 | No | No |
| Partner gardens | 220+ selected RHS Partner Gardens | No | No |
| National Trust places | Not included | Included separately | Per visit |
| Magazine | The Garden included | Separate publication | None |
| Best for people who… | garden regularly and travel for plants | prefer coast, countryside and historic houses | only want one specific day |
Confirmed facts and common misunderstandings
Confirmed facts:
- RHS membership includes free entry to all five main RHS gardens. (RHS member benefits page)
- Members can use more than 220 RHS Partner Gardens at selected times. (RHS Partner Gardens page)
- National Trust properties are not included with RHS membership. (National Trust membership page)
Often misunderstood:
- Partner Garden access is not automatic at every garden on every day.
- The RHS Partner Garden list is a separate list from National Trust and English Heritage.
- One membership works across all five RHS main gardens, but it does not give you every horticultural venue in Britain.
The pattern: Clear understanding of what is included prevents disappointment later.
What the membership materials say
“Members can visit the RHS gardens and a network of RHS Partner Gardens, and they receive The Garden magazine as part of the package.”
— RHS, membership page
“National Trust membership works only with National Trust places and is separate from RHS membership.”
— National Trust, membership page
The takeaway: Both organisations are explicit about the separation.
Bottom line: RHS membership is a garden-world pass, not a National Trust replacement, and the real value is defined by how many gardens you actually reach. If you live near a flagship RHS garden or you are prepared to drive to Partner Gardens, £47.25 is a flexible horticultural ticket; if you are a National Trust member who wants historic houses and coast instead, the clearest consequence is that you will need both memberships.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use RHS membership at National Trust gardens?
No. National Trust properties are not included in RHS membership. You need a separate National Trust membership for places like Sissinghurst.
Does RHS membership include all five RHS gardens?
Yes, free entry to all five main RHS gardens is the core benefit of the membership.
How much is RHS membership in 2024?
The individual rate listed on the RHS join page for 2024 was £47.25.
Can non-members subscribe to The Garden magazine?
Yes, the magazine can be subscribed to separately, but members receive it as part of the package.
Are RHS Partner Gardens free every day?
No. Partner Garden access is at selected times, so you need to check the entry rules for each garden.
Where should a first-time visitor start?
RHS Garden Wisley is the strongest general recommendation because it is the largest and most famous RHS garden, but a nearby Partner Garden can be a better practical entry point.
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Alex Nguyen is Editor-in-Chief at BuzzLayer, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.