Fellow

By achieving a high standard of responsibility via competitive selection or accomplishment in addition to the requirements of Corporate Membership, with evidence of broad-based service to, and/or distinguished leadership in, horticulture.

Examples would be:

• Amenity, e.g. Public service in substantial authorities, Chief Officers or equivalent, Curators of Botanic Gardens of national repute.
• National Bodies, e.g. Principal Officers, Curators of Crown Gardens, The National Trust, The Royal Horticultural Society, War Graves Commission.
• Private employment, e.g. Head Gardeners responsible for exceptionally fine gardens.
• Commercial, e.g. Directors, owners, general managers of substantial organisations in production, marketing, retailing.
• Landscape Architecture and Design, e.g. Principals with established professional standing.
• Education, e.g. Professors, Senior Lecturers, Principals of colleges, Vice Principals, Heads of Horticulture, Inspectors.
• Research, e.g. Directors, Deputies, Heads of Departments, authorities on specialised subjects.
• Horticultural Consultancy and Suppliers, e.g. Directors, Managers, Advisers with high professional standing.

Nominees are normally acceptable if they possess a PhD degree awarded on the strength of published work, or are persons of scientific eminence in some branch of horticulture. Candidates may achieve the distinction expected of Fellows of the Institute in other ways, evidenced by the quality and number of publications in refereed and other journals.

This may apply to horticulturists in universities and higher education and in research laboratories in the public and private sectors. Potentially acceptable are heads or chairs of departments or substantial sub-departments; Senior Principal Scientific Officers in government or research council service; heads of industrial, scientific or technical research departments. Nominations must include full details of the candidate’s responsibilities, grades and titles, the number of graduate and other staff directed, and details of research record.

Nominees need to show more than just outstanding ability as a teacher. Evidence of innovation and originality that has contributed substantially to horticultural education will be sought i.e. teachers, whose professional influence has spread well beyond their own establishment. It is particularly important that sponsors should know candidates well and that, if possible, one at least should come from outside the teaching field.

There will always be candidates from horticulture who do not comply with any of the above criteria for Fellowship but who have established considerable professional standing by achieving a high standard in skill, knowledge or practice, or by being accredited with valuable service to a horticultural pursuit over a minimum period of 20 years which has advanced the interests of the profession. This section also enables Council to elect Members who have served horticulture with distinction in many ways, for example, in related publishing or journalism, or in a branch of science or arts having a direct bearing on horticulture. There will need to be clear and detailed evidence of these achievements to identify and substantiate these cases.