How Royal Horticultural Society's No New Peat Plant Initiative Makes Eco-Friendly Gardening Effortless for UK Gardeners

If you've ever wandered through a garden centre wondering whether your plant choices are doing the planet any favours, here's some brilliant news.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has just made shopping for eco-friendly plants a whole lot easier – and it’s happening right across the UK.

Starting this year, all five RHS gardens and their online shop are now selling only “no new peat” plants. That includes Bridgewater in Greater Manchester, Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, Hyde Hall in Essex, Rosemoor in Devon, and Wisley in Surrey. For gardeners who care about the environment but don’t fancy becoming plant detectives, this is a real game-changer.

Why this matters for British gardeners

Here’s the thing: research shows that 56% of gardeners who buy plants don’t know whether they’ve been grown using peat. That’s more than half of us wandering around garden centres completely unaware of what we’re actually purchasing – and honestly, who has time to interrogate every plant label?

The problem runs deeper than most people realise. UK peatlands are carbon-storage superstars, locking away around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, making them the country’s largest natural carbon store. They’re also home to unique wildlife and provide vital habitats.

Yet around 80% of UK peatlands are damaged, partly due to peat extraction for horticultural use.

What “no new peat” actually means

Because the government hasn’t formally defined what “peat-free” means, the RHS created its own clear definitions in spring 2025:

• No new peat plants
  Plants grown entirely peat-free, or older plants containing peat that was already in use before the end of 2025.

• Peat starter plants
  Plants that began life in peat but have since been grown on without it.

• Peat plants
  Plants grown in peat that entered production after 31 December 2025.

In simple terms: if the peat was already in the system before 2026, it’s allowed. Any new peat extraction, however, is a firm no.

Supporting specialist UK nurseries

Duncan McLean, RHS Senior Plant Buyer, explains:

“Customers can look forward to a range of high-quality, sustainably grown plants. By working with leading commercial partners and pioneering specialist nurseries across the UK, the organisation continues to deliver the range of plants people expect from RHS Garden Centres.”

Barbara King, Head of RHS Garden Centres, adds that the journey hasn’t been straightforward:

“The ambition to be the UK’s leading supplier of ‘no new peat’ plants has not been without its challenges, particularly when it comes to sourcing plants. However, gardeners can now shop safe in the knowledge that they’re not damaging precious peat bogs.”

This commitment is giving a real boost to specialist nurseries across the UK, many of which are already leading the way in peat-free growing. Having RHS centres as customers helps them invest further in sustainable methods.

Exciting plant varieties coming your way

This isn’t just about being environmentally responsible – it’s about better choice, too.

The RHS is expanding its range of popular plants, including Sienna Hostas, a new variety that’s hard to find elsewhere. Centres are also placing a bigger focus on peonies, offering cultivars that flower at different times for longer seasonal displays.

Later in the year, gardeners can also expect flowering nerines and amarines – plants that are rarely available in UK garden centres during their flowering season.

Making peat-free gardening work

The RHS has shared some practical tips to help gardeners succeed with peat-free plants:

• Water little and often; check moisture by lifting pots or using a finger test

• Peat-free compost may need more frequent feeding

• Don’t panic if small mushrooms appear – simply remove and compost them

• Save bagged compost for pots; use homemade compost for beds and borders

• Ask for peat-free plants – demand helps nurseries invest further

Peat-free plants can behave slightly differently, drying out faster or needing altered feeding routines. Once gardeners get used to this, many find they actually prefer the results.

The bigger picture for climate change

Protecting peatlands is about more than gardening. These ecosystems store carbon, support wildlife, and help manage water flow. When damaged, vast amounts of stored carbon are released back into the atmosphere.

With more than 220 years of experience, the RHS is using its influence to make environmentally friendly choices the default. From 21 January 2026, every plant sold through RHS centres and their online shop meets the “no new peat” standard.

For gardeners who want to do the right thing without researching every purchase, the guesswork is gone.

The UK’s gardening charity is proving that protecting the environment doesn’t mean sacrificing choice or quality. In fact, working with specialist nurseries and sustainable growers is opening the door to plants many gardeners might never have discovered otherwise.