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Peer Review

Royal Horticultural Society

Reviewed:
Jul 21, 2003 by Biology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.0 stars
Content Quality: 4.5 stars
Effectiveness: 3.2 stars
Ease of Use: 4.2 stars
Overview:
As one of the world's leading horticultural organizations, the Royal
Horticultural Society (RHS) oversees the famous gardens in Britain including:
Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex, and Harlow Carr in
North Yorkshire. The primary focus of the Society's Website features
information on plants and their cultivation to gardeners through in-house
research and a wide variety of educational programs. This Website provides
current news and events as well as links to gardens, plants, advice, research,
education, publications, and libraries. Users will find this information
particularly useful for gardening tips and links to locating nurseries where
plants may be found. The RHS Website includes a Gardener's Reference with help
and advice to get the most out of a garden. Research provides information at
this Website on a wide variety of gardening topics such as compositing,
mulching, pests, environmental concerns, plant naming, and water-wise gardening.
The educational link provides information about prestigeous RHS certificates,
diplomas, and awards that are internationally recognized.
Type of Material:
Collection / Database
Recommended Uses:
Users will obtain background information about RHS Gardens, gardening practices,
and programs offered by the Society
Technical Requirements:
Current Internet browser to view HTML
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Users will learn about the Royal Horticultural Society and the famous gardens of
Britain. This Website is especially useful for horticulture enthusiasts and
individuals who plan to visit one or more of the gardens.
Target Student Population:
Website is designed primarly for the general public and can be used to educate
horticulture students (middle school through college graduates) interested in
model practices of their discipline.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Some interest in gardening and horticulture will motivate users to navigate this
Website, but no special expertise is needed to understand most of the
information.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

Quality of Content: 4.5, 4.5 = 4.5


  • High quality images and a good webcam at RHS Garden Wisley
  • Quality of information is uniformly high
  • Material is complete for RHS gardens in Britain
  • Advisory Services contain a wide range of information on specific plants,
    soils, and plant pathogens
  • Good model site for horticulture students and enthusiasts wanting to
    learn about the RHS gardens
  • Guidance on how to increase biodiversity in gardens/landscaping is a plus
  • Plant information is accurate, although more pictures would be useful
Concerns:
  • Material is somewhat limited to RHS gardens and would be enhanced if
    links were provided to other worldwide gardens
  • More pictures of individual plants and their detailed descriptions would
    improve quality of information presented
  • Information on Website is not instuctionally-oriented

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

Potential Effectiveness: 3.0, 3.5 = 3.2


  • Section on impact of climate change is excellent and contains specific
    case studies from RHS gardens
  • The Horticultural Database contains a great deal of information that
    students could use to build knowledge
  • Possible to make assignments for individuals wanting to know details
    about what the RHS has to offer
  • Good Website to build enthusiasm and get the general public interested in

    horticulture
Concerns:
  • The Website does not appear to be intended as an academic site and thus
    it will require effort on the part of teachers to develop assignments that can
    take advantage of the information
  • More detailed descriptions and picture of plants would greatly enhance
    the educational aspects of the Plant Finder
  • Information presented does not demonstrate relationships between concepts

    without assignments for guidance
  • Links to Websites that include pictures and descriptions of plants,
    worldwide, would greatly improve the use of this information by educators
  • Photographs, designs, and other visualizations of gardens would make this

    Website very useful for horticulture students
  • Perhaps virtual tours of the gardens with videos or streaming video would

    provide users with a more exciting visit to this RHS Website

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

Ease of Use: 3.5, 4.9 = 4.2


  • All links function and respond quickly
  • Individual pages are well-designed and attractive
  • Well organized and easy to navigate
  • Appropriately searchable with a search link on the Home Page
  • Easy to find information, particularly about visits to RHS gardens
Concerns:
  • Information is fairly limited to RHS flora and would be more usable if
    expanded to other gardens
  • While the Website contains a large variety of information, it is not
    always immediately obvious where different kinds of information will be found
  • Need a better "road map" for this Website
Other Issues and Comments:
This is a good site that provides visitor information for one of the world's
most exceptional gardens. The information presented would be greatly enhanced
by virtual tours that include pictures and videos of the gardens. This is an
excellent effort for horticulture. There is a large amount of practical
information.
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