Greenhouse plants
The Glasshouse at RHS Wisley contains a fascinating and wide range of indoor and other tender plants.
Information on growing plants in a glasshouse or conservatory and their pest and disease problems can be found in the Advice section.
The RHS Tender Ornamental Plant Committee
The main RHS committee concerned with assessing greenhouse and houseplants. The Committee is a source of expertise for the RHS on all matters regarding plants normally grown under protection, other than plants for the alpine house and tender plants grown primarily for outdoor display. It judges individual and group exhibits of these plants at London Flower Shows. Individual plants in these categories judged by Specialist Committees are generally excluded unless the relevant Committee is not meeting. At Chelsea it judges only individual exhibits, the group exhibits being judged by a Council appointed Panel. It is also responsible, jointly with the Herbaceous Plant Committee, for judging the Floral Plant Trials at Wisley.
RHS trials
Trials of greenhouse plants are judged by the Floral Trials subcommittee, making recommendations for award to Floral Committee 'C'.
Numerous greenhouse plants have received the Society's Award of Garden Merit, the highest award given to plants. A valuable feature of this award is the hardiness rating attached to each award. This gives a useful indication of how much protection tender plants may need in the UK.
Further reading
This is just one topic covered by the Society's monthly journal for members, The Garden, and recent articles of interest are listed below. The latest thinking from the best minds in horticulture today is to be found in the RHS journal, The Plantsman: some recent relevant articles are suggested here.
Ardle, J. & N. Morgan. 1998, March. Cool house chic. The Garden (RHS) 123(3): 167-169. Use of seed-raised biennials and perennials in the cool glasshouse.
Gilbert, R. 1993, May. Ferns of the forest. The Garden (RHS) 118(5): 204-. About the stagshorn ferns, Platycerium.
RHS Wisley Staff. 1996, November. Problem Profiles: glasshouse leaf hopper. The Garden (RHS) 120(11): 94-95
RHS Wisley Staff. 1996, April. Problem Profiles: glasshouse red spider mite. The Garden (RHS) 121(4): 222-223.
RHS Wisley Staff. 1995, May. Problem Profiles: glasshouse whitefly. The Garden (RHS) 120(5): 296-297.
Shaw, J. 1999. Notes on the identity of Swedish ivy and other cultivated Plectranthus. The New Plantsman 6(3): 139-147.