We have an exciting opportunity for a Herbarium Curator (From Roots to Records project) to join our supportive and friendly team in the RHS’s 1851 Royal Commission Herbarium, the UK’s largest herbarium dedicated to cultivated plants, located in our new state-of-the-art facilities in the Hilltop building in the garden at Wisley.
The RHS’s herbarium specialises in dried cultivated plant specimens that are documented on a database. The collection comprises c. 101,000 herbarium plant specimens and c. 45,000 photographic slides, prints and paintings, annually increasing by c. 1000 items. The Herbarium Curator (From Roots to Records project) contributes to the careful handling and recording of the RHS’s internationally important herbarium specimens, as part of a larger scale project to make the Society’s collections available for researchers and a wider audience online. It also supports the work of the Cultivated Plant Diversity department through providing a resource to support research.
From Roots to Records is a two-year project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (see below for more information).
Overview of the Role:
We are looking to recruit a herbarium curator who will be responsible for supporting the work of the collecting teams through the vital role of accessioning (databasing and producing labels) new collections and processing dried/drying specimens. Applicants will have practical experience in plant names, be able to transcribe accurately a range of different handwriting, knowledge of databases pertinent to biological collections, and plant collecting skills. This is a fixed term post for 3 days per week, part-supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
From Roots to Records: Empowering communities to create, preserve and celebrate South-West Plant Heritage via the RHS Herbarium
The RHS has received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to expand the RHS Herbarium to better represent UK garden plant diversity, focusing on capturing and preserving plants from South-West England.
For the next two years a new team comprising staff and community volunteers will help identify, collect, press and document c. 1,000 priority plants, both from RHS Garden Rosemoor and public gardens and ’Plant Guardians’ across the South-West region.
Our priority will be to capture plants at risk of extinction from climate change or with resilience for a changing environment or of cultural importance. They will be preserved for posterity in the nationally significant Herbarium collection at RHS Garden Wisley, which houses plant specimens from as long ago as 1731 and features samples collected by Charles Darwin on The Beagle.
Through connecting the new specimens to scientific researchers, we’ll deepen understanding of how plants benefit the environment and people’s wellbeing, sharing this knowledge widely. Digitisation of the collected specimens will mean they can be accessed by anyone all over the world.
Local people based in Devon and Cornwall, from school children to adult learners, will play an active role in collecting plants and creating heritage specimens throughout the project, gaining new skills and confidence. A broad range of people will be able to enjoy workshops, talks and public events at RHS Rosemoor, designed to inspire visitors to better understand the special plants in their region and take action to support nature.
Through all this, the project will establish a legacy of benefits for cultivated plant diversity, strengthened community engagement and increased heritage skills -laying the foundation for a national strategy to better preserve cultivated plants and landscapes for future
Apply via our website by end of 23d July 2026. Interviews will take place at RHS Garden Wisley on 5th August 2026 (please mention in your application if you are unavailable on this date). Working days can be negotiated. It is anticipated that the role will commence early September 2026.
To work for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is to join a thriving charity, whose mission is to be there for everyone on their lifelong adventure with gardening. Everything we do is built on the transformational power of gardening – and the benefits it brings to people, places and our planet.
And we couldn’t do this without our people. We’re proud of the knowledge, enthusiasm and ideas that each one of our team members brings. From working across our social media channels, to volunteering in the RHS Gardens, from serving customers in our garden centres to running national marketing campaigns, we believe that every member of the RHS team should have the opportunity to make a difference. Our careers portal here provides a comprehensive overview of what we offer, the teams that work at the RHS and our great benefits.
Safeguarding and Inclusion
The RHS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all personnel to share in this commitment. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
We may review applications as soon as we receive them so if you see a vacancy that you are interested in, please apply straight away as the vacancy will be closed as soon as we hire the right candidate. If you require any additional support with making your application, please contact
[email protected] please ensure to include the job title or job reference number REQ (found at the top of the advert) when emailing.
