A garden for all seasons: The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Wakehurst

When did you last visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew? Whether it was years ago or last month, it’s time to visit again. Each visit offers new experiences and discoveries from the treasures of seasonal displays to historic architecture and exquisite botanical art.

The Great Broad Walk Borders at Kew. Photo credit: Jeff Eden, RBG Kew

Foremost, a visit to Kew or Wakehurst is a chance to wander, look, admire and share the turning of the seasons. Stay for just an hour, or linger all day, there is something for everyone. 

Kew Gardens, on the outskirts of south-west London, spans 330 acres and holds one the most diverse collections of living plants of any botanic garden in the world. In a time when nature is increasingly recognised for its role in mental health and climate change solutions, every one of the 50,000 living plants held at this Unesco World Heritage site is precious, and Kew’s programme of research, conservation and education is at the heart of what makes this garden tick. 

Wakehurst in Sussex is Kew’s countryside sister garden. Five hundred acres of walled and water gardens, arboretum and state-of-the-art Millennium Seed Bank, enhance the botanical discovery.

Boundless membership includes annual unlimited access to both locations, making it easy to visit regularly and enjoy these unique landscapes. Members get unlimited admission as well as 50% off entry for an additional adult, free entry for up to five children and a 10% discount in the Kew shop both online and in store.

Worth knowing before you visit Kew and Wakehurst

• Have some ideas about what you want to see. While wandering is highly recommended, knowing the highlights can enhance your visit. Check for events and exhibitions, pick up a map at the entrance (or download one online) and read the helpful blackboards that note what’s looking good that day.

• There is limited car parking at Kew, but the site is easily accessible via public transport – check Transport for London to plan your travel. Free parking is available at Wakehurst for garden ticket holders and members. 

• Check opening times as these vary through the year. Members can enjoy early access to the gardens in summer – well worth taking advantage of.

• Wear comfortable shoes – while there is a land train at Kew (ticket needed) that takes you to various spots around the gardens, there can be a lot of walking involved.

• There’s no facilities to leave bags or coats, so don’t overload yourselves.

• Be aware that the glasshouses, galleries, Children’s Garden and cafes close an hour before the garden closes.

• The Children’s Garden holds Quiet Sessions available March to October for children with special educational needs and disabilities (booking required).

• Picnics are a lovely way to enjoy the gardens, and it's surprisingly easy to find your own secluded spot. But note, scooters and bikes aren’t allowed.

Year-round highlights at Kew

The Iconic Kew Palm House

The Palm House in summer. Photo credit: Ines Stuart-Davidson © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

Built in 1844, Kew’s iconic glasshouse showcases tropical plants (many endangered in the wild) from around the world, creating a fabulously immersive indoor rainforest, humid and dense with vegetation. Look out for Encephalartos altensteinii, the oldest potted plant in the world, dating from 1775.

Temperate House

Inside the Temperate House, Kew Gardens

The world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, home to a diverse collection of temperate zone plants from some of the world’s remotest locations, such as the Pitcairn Islands. Climb the spiral staircase to enjoy looking down on the foliage canopy from the gallery walkway. 

Princess of Wales Conservatory

Featuring 10 different climatic zones from dry tropics to steamy tropical environments, this is where you’ll find the world’s smallest waterlily as well as the titan arum Amorphophallus titanum – known for its enormous and foul-smelling flower. Look out for news of its infrequent flowering – it’s fascinating to see.

The Great Pagoda

You catch sight of this stunning 18th-century structure from various points in the garden. It makes a great destination for a general wander, plus you can climb to the top for panoramic views.

Treetop Walkway

The Treetop Walkway. Photo credit: RBG Kew

An adventure for all the family, this 18-metre-high walkway winds through and above the tree canopy to give a unique perspective. Perfect for viewing the changing seasons.

The Alpine House

Showcasing an exquisite collection of delicate alpine plants, this small but perfectly formed gem is particularly fine in spring.

Explore the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew

A captivating collection of botanical art displaying items from Kew’s archive of 200,000 botanical images alongside contemporary additions and regular exhibitions.

Children’s Garden

The Children’s Garden. Photo credit: Jeff Eden, Kew

Created for 2-12 year olds and hugely popular, this play area features four sections – the Air, Sun, Water and Earth gardens reflecting the elements plants need to thrive – with slides, balances, tunnels and winding paths encouraging activity and exploration.

Arboretum

At Kew there are 11,000 trees covering some 2,000 species from majestic oaks to towering cedar trees and rare Wollemi pines. Be sure to read the information boards alongside many of the trees to find out more about their history and facts. Pick up a Remarkable Tree Trail leaflet to follow.

Year-round highlights at Wakehurst

Millennium Seed Bank

The world’s largest wild plant seed bank focuses on conserving seeds from useful, threatened, and rare species. Visit to learn about conservation efforts and see how specimens are stored.

Westwood Valley and Pinetum

Collections of native and exotic tree species provide tranquil woodland walks along shaded paths.

Seasonal highlights to see at Kew and Wakehurst

Spring

Visit early in the year and enjoy that sense of unfurling new growth. From the swathes of crocus and narcissus in February through to the spellbinding blue haze of the scilla lawn in March, bluebell displays in April and the whimsical tulip-dotted grass borders. The magnolia displays in February/March, and cherry blossoms and rhododendrons in April/May are magical.

Spring discovery: At Wakehurst, a leading display of rhododendrons bloom in April, followed by carpets of bluebells in Bethlehem Wood, the flaming red Chilean Firebush in the Southern Hemisphere garden, and peaking with wisteria. 

Discover the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens

Orchids inside the Princess of Wales' Conservatory. Photo credit: © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

The Orchid Festival at Kew, held annually in February, showcases this fascinating and vibrant selection of plants with floral sculptures and artistic installations. 

Summer

Summer in the Rose Garden at Kew. Photo credit: Sebastian Kettley © RBG Kew

Kew and Wakehurst offer dappled sunlight and places to sit and ponder as the temperatures rise and daylight lingers later. Wandering into the Rose Garden in June, you are enveloped in fragrance, while the Mediterranean Garden comes into its own with its sun-loving plantings of olives, cistus and Italian cypress. Kew’s Great Broad Walk Borders crescendo in colour along its 320 metres.

While much of the garden’s attractions focus on the plants, The Hive at Kew highlights the life of bees. This large-scale installation is a seemingly chaotic yet highly ordered mesh of tubes fitted with 1,000 LED lights that glow in response to the vibrations made by bees in the garden, accompanied by a musical symphony. Set within a wildflower meadow, it’s a tingling sensory experience that highlights the intricacies and delicacy of our ever-busy eco systems.

Don’t miss Wakehurst’s own meadows. The Coronation Meadow, Bloomers Valley and American Prairie come to life in high summer, with mown paths leading you through wildflowers and grasses that are busy with insects on sunny days.

• Summer discovery: Both Kew and Wakehurst host a programme of summertime events, including concerts, plays and wellbeing activities. Why not book a Forest Bathing tour to discover more about the gardens’ key trees and appreciate time spent in nature?

Autumn

Experience Autumn Gardens at Kew and Wakehurst 

Both gardens revel in their autumn colours and Kew’s Treetop Walkway is an obvious vantage point to appreciate the display. The lakeside too, is another spot to head for and enjoy serene reflections. 

The Japanese Garden at Kew: A Tranquil Retreat 

Take time to wander out to the contemplative Japanese Garden complete with traditional gateway, raked gravel, fiery autumn foliage displays and late summer/early autumn Japanese anemones. Also at Kew is the Grass Garden – wonderful in low autumn sunlight with a gentle breeze animating the golden flowering stems.

• Autumn discovery: The Elizabethan Mansion at Wakehurst is currently closed for restoration and clad in scaffolding, which has provided the canvas for Planet Wakehurst – a huge photo montage artwork by Catherine Nelson, celebrating the plants and colours of Wakehurst. The scaffolding includes the 10-metre-high Canopy Walk, giving a great vantage point over the gardens and its fine tree collections. 

Winter

Enjoy being outside and being active on crisp, fresh days, perhaps challenging yourself to walk to a previously undiscovered part of the gardens. Kew’s new Winter Garden highlights striking winter planting from the bright stems of dogwood to the fragrant fiery blooms of witch hazel and early flowering hellebores, snowdrops and cheery yellow winter aconites. The Winter Garden at Wakehurst features some 33,000 plants including swathes of cyclamen and snowdrops, with the white trunks of Himalayan silver birch trees glowing in the low winter light.

Kew Gardens Illuminations: A Magical Experience

Kew Gardens illuminations. Photo credit: RBG Kew

Winter discovery: Christmas at Kew is a spectacular light trail animating the garden and its iconic buildings in a series of laser projections, glittering trees, illuminated arches and other glimmering effects. 

Wakehurst Lights: A Dazzling Display

Glow Wild at Wakehurst. Photo credit: © Jim Holden, RBG Kew

Wakehurst’s Glow Wild is equally magical and boasts the UK’s tallest living Christmas tree.

Find out more about visiting Kew and Wakehurst using your Boundless membership. 

Do more with Boundless

If you're working in or retired from the public sector or civil service, Boundless has two great membership options to choose from: Boundless and Boundless Plus.

With Boundless, you get unlimited access or discounted entry to many of the UK’s top attractions including Kew Gardens and Wakehurst and WWT centres across the UK, as well as year-round deals on restaurants, holidays, shopping and much more. With Boundless Plus, you can enjoy additional benefits including unlimited access to Historic Royal Palaces sites, National Trust for Scotland places, access to the Ramblers' extensive group walks and routes, and peace of mind with roadside assistance and local recovery by LV= Britannia Rescue.