RHS The Plant Finder-inaccuracies

[David Nicholson]

I've probably moaned about this several times in these pages as well as directly to the RHS so I thought a thread might be useful. At least it might put together information with which to beat the RHS over the head for what in the past has been a very useful tool for gardeners and is now virtually a complete and utter waste of space.

Having done a Plant Finder search on Veronica oltensis ( a beautiful little plant recently shown on The Forum by LucG ) it showed 9 suppliers. One of these was Susan Tindall's Timpany Nursery in Co. Down, Northern Ireland and I'm sure Susan will be pleased to know that the little red place marker on the map of suppliers shows her to be located somewhere near to Wrexham in North Wales.

[johnralphcarpenter]

I agree, the RHS website is pretty much useless these days.

[Maggi Young]

Most of the RHS site is now either difficult to use  or a waste of time, in my personal opinion.  Mostly very frustrating to use -  at best.

There's a good deal about RHS  stuff that irritates me!
Today Malvern Show has been tweeting about the show gardens being recycled :   

"ThreeCountiesMalvern @MalvernShow  ·  May 10

Almost 100% of the show gardens are recycled and this year, more than ever before will be relocated in their entirety."

Sounds good - but I am reminded of the fuss there was last year after Hampton Court when some trees were chopped down rather than re-used - a different sort of "recycling" than most would expect, I think.

[ http://www.landscapejuice.com/2014/07/shocking-destruction-of-trees-just-for-a-show-garden.html
http://www.amateurgardening.com/news/anger-trees-felled-hampton-court-10074 ]

If the trees are going to be so stressed by being  used at the show, what is the point? So wasteful. And today I was told that Chatsworth House is sending 300 tonnes of stone from Chatsworth to Chelsea for a garden - how's that for  environmentally friendly?   

Daft, it really is.


Edit to add link to Chatsworth/Chelsea story 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chelseaflowershow/11585917/Chelsea-Flower-Show-2015-300-tonnes-of-rock-for-Chelsea-2015-garden.html

[Giles]

..the fact that the cultivars of a particular species aren't listed in alphabetical order is very frustrating.
... then to told that there are 5 suppliers, whilst only giving the details of two.....

[David Nicholson]

Yes Giles, I agree with you there on both counts.

[SteveC2]

Last year I contacted several nurseries listed in the Plantfinder in search of a particular plant to be told that it was out of stock.  This year it is back in the list.  When I phoned again i was told it was out of stock again. 
"So you've sold out again," I said. 
"No" was the reply.  "We haven't had time to change our entries on the list."

An honest answer, but one which renders the whole list useless.  And it does make me wonder how accurate the list ever was?  If it is not updated regularly in the computer age then I doubt it was in the days of paper and pen.

On another point, I was given quite a lecture at a recent show when I said that Early Purple Orchids were not Dactylorhizas.  Apparently the RHS Plant finder says they are.  And low and behold they are.  Why are such ancient names, pre 1970's, still listed?

Painful isn't it, when people think of the seventies as ancient history.

[Maggi Young]

You would wonder, wouldn't you? 
Orchis mascula (L.) L. is an accepted name with original publication details: Fl. Suec. ed. 2: 310 1755.

Dactylorhiza mascula is an "unresolved name" according to the Kew list and even in the Plant Finder is given as a synonym.