RHS/Col Plant Collector Archive

From the 1820s to the 1860s, the Horticultural Society of London (as the RHS was then known) sent 12 plant collectors around the world. Their task was to seek out and send back promising plants for British gardens and for scientific study. Seeds, plants, herbarium specimens and information resulting from these journeys contributed significantly to an explosion in the range of plants grown in Britain in the 19th century, the impact of which is still felt to this day.

The RHS Plant Collector Archive is a unique collection of papers associated with the 12 plant collectors and their journeys. For the first time they are now fully catalogued, digitised, and free for everyone to access. This has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Foyles Foundation and the National Heritage Lottery Fund.