RHS Garden Holidays has today launched a brand new range of UK tours in partnership with specialist horticultural tour operator Brightwater Holidays. 

Featuring 35 itineraries to some of the most beautiful gardens around the UK and Ireland, the new programme also includes tours based on the RHS Shows including the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.  Gardens visited on the tours have all been handpicked and range from well known gems such as RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Highgrove, Sissinghurst and Nymans to others such as Tresco's Abbey Gardens, the Abbey House in Malmesbury, Bodnant in Wales and Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire Coast in Scotland. There are also a host of private gardens on offer. 

Many of the tours will be led by a horticultural expert tour manager and whilst at the gardens, guests will be taken round by Head Gardeners, Owners, Curators and horticulturists to ensure they get the most out of their visit.  Departures take place from March through to October, with each itinerary timed to coincide with when the individual gardens will be looking at their best. 

Holidays stretch the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland - from private gardens in Shetland and hidden gardens overlooking Scottish lochs and glens to gardens in the Welsh valleys, along with those under the big sky country of East Anglia, along the leafy lanes of the Home Counties and down to the West Country.  There is also an extensive choice of Irish gardens ranging from the sophisticated suburbs of Dublin to gardens in the Antrim glens, to complete a wonderful collection of garden holidays. 

Commenting on the new programme, Sue Biggs, Director General of the RHS says 'We are delighted to be working with Brightwater to bring this superb range of holidays to our members and other garden enthusiasts.  Some of the world's most beautiful gardens can be found across the UK and Ireland, and whether you are a fan of cottage gardens, formal gardens, alpine gardens or sculpture gardens – there is a wealth of choice on offer.    Gardening and travel are two of life's great pleasures and what better way to get inspiration for your own garden than by combining the two on an RHS Garden Holiday.' 

Graeme Mitchell, Managing Director, Brightwater Holidays adds 'At Brightwater Holidays we pride ourselves on our expertise in organizing exceptional garden holidays and a love of all things gardening is at the heart of what we do, giving us a natural synergy with the RHS. Our holidays often have an innovative twist or a theme that we know will appeal to RHS members.  This might be walking round a garden with the owner who has specially opened it for us, having tea with them on the lawn or even visiting their potting shed. We look forward to welcoming more gardening enthusiasts on one of our holidays very soon.' 

Prices in the brochure lead in at £295 per person for a two night tour entitled 'My Favourite Gardens in Wales' with Tony Russell – formerly Head Forester at Westonbirt and one of the country's leading experts on trees and shrubs.   It visits Bodnant Garden, Clough William-Ellis Gardens at Plas Brondanw and Portmeirion and is based in the heart of Snowdonia at Plas Tan y Bwlch. 

Other holidays in the 'My Favourite Gardens' series include 'My Favourite Gardens in Ireland' with acclaimed plantswoman and gardener Helen Dillon, who will lead the group round her own garden in Dublin and that of her dear friend June Blake; as well as 'My Favourite Gardens in Cornwall' with Mike Nelhams, curator of the Tresco Abbey Gardens who will host a trip to Cornwall's Heligan and Lamorran gardens. There is also a superb 'My Favourite Gardens in Scotland' tour with Stephen Blackmore, the Queen's Botanist in Scotland. This itinerary includes the enchanting Benmore Botanic Garden, part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, in a magnificent mountainside setting on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll;  Mount Stuart House – a Neo Gothic house on the Isle of Bute with extensive formal and wild gardens and the award-winning Ascog Hall Gardens and Fernery, also on the Isle of Bute. 

All the itineraries are drawn together by a theme such as 'The Legacy of Gertrude Jekyll'- a 6 night tour departing in June and July, looking at gardens connected with this iconic figure in horticulture, including those where she worked in partnership with architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.  The itinerary stretches across the south of England, from the Home Counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey, where Jekyll lived for much of her life, onto the scenic West Country where many of her commissions are located. Gardens include Gravetye Manor, Loseley Park, Munstead Wood, Heale House and Hestercombe.

There is also a range of special interest tours combining complementary interests with gardening, such as art, wildlife and history.  These include 'Arts and Gardens of East Anglia'; 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Gardens of the Clyde' and 'Dublin's Art and Garden Scene'.

Clients wishing to combine some of the spectacular RHS Flower Shows with a gardening holiday will also have a choice of tours.  There are two itineraries based around the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2015, one based in and around London, Kent and Surrey, and the other being a two centre holiday between London and Bath/Bristol.  There is a great opportunity to combine the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with visits to a range of private Surrey gardens as well as The Tatton Park Flower Show with the Gardens of Cheshire.

Most holidays include admission to all garden visits, transportation to and from the gardens, comfortable hotel accommodation, mostly on a half-board basis. Virtually all tours include coach transportation from selected and sensible pick up locations. Rail and air alternatives can be provided on request along with overnight accommodation before and after the holiday to tie in with your chosen pick-up location.

Clients booking an RHS Garden Holiday to the UK or Ireland will be given a special discounted membership of the RHS of 12 months for the price of 9.

For more information, please visit: www.rhsgardenholidays.com, CALL 0203 735 1855 or email brochureorders@rhsgardenholidays.com

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For more media information, please contact Sarah Bolam on 07714 33 7756 or email sarahbolam2@rhs.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

About RHS Garden Holidays:

RHS Garden Holidays offer a range of garden-themed escorted tours and partner cruises around the world that combine the gardening-related passion and knowledge of the RHS with the experience of leading tour operators.  Current partners for escorted tours are Brightwater Holidays in the UK and Ireland, Collette in Europe and worldwide, Wendy Wu Tours in China and a range of cruises in partnership with Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic.

From a handpicked selection of some of the finest gardens around the British Isles to destinations as diverse as China, Japan and South Africa, as well as Spain, the Azores and Italy, all itineraries have been carefully designed with garden lovers in mind.

Tours feature a range of expert-led tours and private access to public gardens,  as well as some private gardens and the chance to see significant flowers in their natural habitat.  There is also the chance to see some of the great cultural highlights in the various destinations. All tours are escorted by an experienced tour manager and include international flights, transport accommodation and most meals.

 A contribution from every booking goes towards the charitable works of the RHS.  With European and worldwide holidays and cruises, complimentary RHS membership or guest membership is included.  Please note this is not included in the UK tours. 

About the RHS

The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood for the encouragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture. We held our first flower shows in 1820, were granted a Royal Charter in 1861 and acquired RHS Garden Wisley in 1903. From our first meetings in a small room off London's Piccadilly, we have grown to become the world's largest gardening charity.

Today the RHS is committed to providing a voice for all gardeners. We are driven by a simple love of plants and a belief that gardeners make the world a better place. 200 years on we continue to safeguard and advance the science, art and practice of horticulture, creating displays that inspire people to garden. In all aspects of our work we help gardeners develop by sharing our knowledge of plants, gardens and the environment.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk/join

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262