She was patron of the RHS from 1952 and had attended RHS Chelsea Flower Show more than 50 times. She was at Chelsea for the last time this May. There were several tribute gardens for her platinum jubilee this summer.
Prince Charles will now become King Charles III. He is renowned for his passion for organic gardening at Highgrove and is patron of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Royal Botanic Garden Kew, Garden Organic and National Garden Scheme patron. Many gardens, including RHS and Kew gardens, will be closed on 9 September.
In reaction, the RHS said: “It is with extreme sorrow and deep respect that the Society marks the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the RHS.
“Her Majesty became Patron of the Society on accession to the throne in 1952. From an early age, The Queen regularly accompanied her parents to RHS Chelsea Flower Show, visiting the show more than 50 times during her reign, and always took great pleasure in touring the gardens and plant displays and speaking with exhibitors.
“The Queen also visited RHS Garden Wisley. In 1978, accompanied by HRH Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, Her Majesty planted a beech tree in the Jubilee Arboretum and in 2007, planted a Chinese dogwood ‘Wisley Queen’ while opening The Glasshouse built to honour the bicentenary of the RHS.
“Her Majesty understood the importance of gardening and there can be no doubt that The Queen and HRH Prince Philip enjoyed the peace and privacy of their gardens at Sandringham, Norfolk, Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, and at Buckingham Palace, but they also enjoyed the gardens as a venue for summer garden parties; it is said that no one knew the gardens of Buckingham Palace better than The Queen.
“Her Majesty’s support has always been a great source of strength to the RHS and we were delighted that The Queen was able to visit this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Her Majesty will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with the Royal Family, to whom we send our deepest condolences at this sad time.
“As a mark of respect, we will not be opening any of our five RHS Gardens at Bridgewater, Wisley, Hyde Hall, Harlow Carr and Rosemoor on the day of the funeral.
“We were extremely grateful and proud to have Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as our Patron and we are immensely saddened by the news today.”
NFU president Minette Batters said: “Words cannot describe the deep sense of sadness that I and the rest of the farming community will feel at the news of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.
“Her Majesty has been the embodiment of duty and public service, seeing the country through seven decades where we have seen huge change in our nation and in our fields.
“The Queen’s deep connection to the countryside has been valued enormously by farmers and has left a remarkable legacy that will continue for generations.
“On behalf of farmers in England and Wales, I would like to send my deepest condolences to the King, Queen Consort and the Royal Family at this truly sad time for our country.”
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh said: “We mourn the loss of her Majesty and remember 70 years of unwavering devotion and service to her country, Realms and The Commonwealth. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is immensely proud of its close association with Her Majesty, and our thoughts are with the Royal Family on this very sad occasion.”
In 1964, the Queen opened the Garden’s new Library, Archive and Herbarium. With over a million items, the Library and Archive is one of Scotland’s largest research libraries while the Herbarium contains over three million preserved specimens representing more than half the world’s plant species.
Her Majesty also visited a public exhibition held at Inverleith House to mark the centenary of the Scottish Office in July 1985. During that visit, Her Majesty graciously signed a framed specimen of the orchid Dendrobium vexillarius, donated to the Library by RBGE botanist and horticulturist Paddy Woods. As part of his work on the species, he had previously received permission from Buckingham Palace to name a cultivar Dendrobium vexillarius ‘Queen Elizabeth’.
Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh and Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay also visited RBGE in July 2006 to unveil the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden – a living tribute to the late Queen Mother who had been Patron of the Garden. The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Garden in 2010 to open the Garden’s new flagship John Hope Gateway building.
Chair of the National Trust for Scotland Sir Mark Jones and Chief Executive Philip Long OBE said: “All at our charity are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
“Over the years it was our honour to host Her Majesty the Queen on visits to Trust properties from Falkland Palace in Fife in 1958 to Culloden in 2009.
“It was our charity’s honour to have several of our woodlands selected to be included in the Queen’s Green Canopy to mark the Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.
“We would like to pass our sincerest condolences to the Royal Family and our deepest sympathies to our Patron, His Royal Highness King Charles III.”
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew said: “Kew Gardens and Wakehurst are closed on Friday 9 September 2022 to respectfully mark the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. We will re-open on Saturday 10 September.
Country Land and Business Owners Association president Mark Tufnell said: “It is with profound grief that we note the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, but it is also with sincere gratitude that we remember her tireless service to our nation and its rural community.
“In an ever-changing world, the Queen was a constant. Her devotion and sense of duty inspired us all.
“On behalf of everyone at the Country Land and Business Association, I send my very deepest condolences to all members of the Royal Family, and pray that they will find comfort in the outpouring of love being shown to them from around the world.”
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