RHS launches winter damage survey

Despite a warmer than average summer, gardeners may remember the cold weather that crippled the UKs transport network last winter.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is looking to establish how much this affected the countrys garden and greenhouse plants by conducting a survey of enthusiasts.

It is particularly interested in those growing exotic species, such as palms and banana trees, as the body noted more and more gardeners are trying their hand at these due to the increasing temperatures in the UK.

The online study is open to people from around the country and the RHS hopes to gain enough information to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the winter impacted green spaces and glasshouses.

Respondents will be asked what they were growing, the position it was in and how much damage, if any, was caused.

It comes as the body announced it plans to educate the horticulturalists of the future at a new carbon-neutral learning centre and library, set to be build at RHS Garden Harrogate.