MAJOR changes are planned in the gardening world with the news that two of the biggest horticultural societies in the country are to merge.

The Harrogate-based Northern Horticultural Society (NHS), which has about 10,000 members, is to merge with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) from July 1.

NHS members have voted overwhelmingly for the move, with 95 per cent of them voting their approval.

The move will mean an investment of £750,000 in the NHS's showpiece gardens, at Harlow Carr, Harrogate, over the next five years.

The chairman of the NHS's Council, Chris Beard, was delighted with the way the vote went yesterday. "With the support of the RHS, the future of Harlow Carr as one of the country's great gardens will be secure," he said.

The president-elect of the RHS, Sir Richard Carew-Pole, described the vote as a big step forward for both societies.

"Harlow Carr will be the first northern garden which the RHS has run, so we are looking forward to working with NHS members to show just what we can do together for gardeners in the north," he said.

The NHS was formed in 1946 and has run the botanical gardens at Harlow Carr since 1950.

They now cover some 68 acres. As well as running a comprehensive educational programme, the grounds are also home to a museum of gardening. The annual spring and autumn shows are among the biggest of their kind.

The RHS, which has 287,000 members throughout the UK and overseas, carries out extensive scientific, advisory and educational work.

It operates 19 major shows, including those at Chelsea, Hampton Court Palace and Tatton Park, and owns gardens at Wisley, Surrey; Rosemoor, Devon; and Hyde Hall, Essex.

All existing NHS members will receive full RHS membership benefits