The Royal Horticultural Society

This award-winning site is truly one of the best on the web. Anyone who has even a passing interest in gardening will enjoy a visit. The homepage lists the main attractions. You can join the RHS, or look around at the many things on offer. You can also purchase tickets to the RHS's shows, with the popular Hampton Court Palace Flower Show that runs between 6th and 11th July this year.

STAR ATTRACTIONS

The RHS boasts 360000 members and membership of this very British institution includes the opportunity to attend the Society's star shows, the RHS monthly magazine, The Garden, with articles on plants, gardens to visit and much more.

The real attraction of this site is the section on plants. The Plant Selector is a comprehensive database of plants which provides immediate access to the details of thousands of plants for your garden. RHS members are given access to a larger number of plants in the returned answers. The Plant Finder will search over 800 UK nurseries for over 70,000 plants in this online version of the bestselling book. The search system recognises common names, for which it offers a selection of possibilities, but botanical names still give best results. The returns from the search give a list of stockists, and includes contact details, opening hours, and whether or not they do mail order. Links to websites are given where appropriate. Also available on the page are a number of helpful pop-up information panels on plant names, genera classification, and an aid to searching for fruit and vegetable varieties using their botanical names. Also in this section is an explanation of the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit and the opportunity to search the database of over 6000 plants boasting the accolade. The introduction to the naming of plants gives a good background into how botanical names work.

The site is not geared just towards adults, the section for children gives information on the Campaign for School Gardening, as well as a section for fun stuff to get kids involved.

BLOGS & FORUMS

My Garden, the RHS's online community for gardeners is the place where advice is dispensed, Visitors can read and comment on blogs from the RHS's gardeners and other contributors. Gardeners can post questions and ask advice from like-minded souls.

As well as flagging up the one-to-one telephone support that's available to members, this section offers two new and useful features. Problem Profiles lists several topically relevant problems each month (How to grow tomatoes successfully; Dealing with pond algae, cats or blackspot; summer pruning) and gives a neat tutorial on overcoming the problem. These are often illustrated with photographs, and where appropriate, offer contact details for suppliers. Calendar sets out a list of tasks for the month, with links to similar tutorials on the most important jobs.

RESEARCH

The RHS has links to the extraordinary number of projects, trials, services, lab reports, and conferences currently being undertaken by the staff at Wisley laboratories. It is a fascinating insight into the world of horticultural research. There are also helpful links, reference information and suggestions for further reading. A-Z Hort Themes lists more specialised horticultural issues as well as common garden problems, and gives a page of information, links, and further reading on each. Topics include heavy metal accumulation, the use of peat, and soil analysis. A-Z Plant Groups lists the plant groups currently being studied by the society's horticultural specialists, and includes information on classification, cultivation, and relevant pests and diseases. Each page gives further reading and links to other websites.

GARDENS

The Garden Finder is simple to use, and can be searched by county or name, and under optional criteria such as plant sales or parking. Ample information is given on each recommended garden. RHS Gardens has lots of well-organised information on the history, facilities, and locations of the four flagship RHS gardens at Wisley, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr.

OTHER FEATURES

Education introduces the work of the RHS and the programme of events, and lists the courses, examinations, and certificates that can be taken. The society's work with children is also described, and there's advice on training, careers, and bursaries. The up-to-date news service is easy to access, and includes photographs from recent flower shows, and you can also join online, search the site, and link to the RHS Bookfinder service.