The Grass Garden

Designed in 1982, the Grass Garden is currently growing 550 species of grasses, but this number is being added to continuously. Grasses (Gramineae, also known as Poaceae) are some of the most economically important plants. Some supply food directly as cereals and indirectly as cattle fodder; others are the basis of many alcoholic drinks; there are species used in building as straw thatch and bamboo scaffolding - while sorghum and sugar cane (grown in the Waterlily House and Palm House) are used to produce petrol substitutes.

The importance of the grasses in supporting mankind is shown by the simple fact that just three cereals - maize, wheat and rice - provide nearly two-thirds of the calories and half the protein consumed by the world's population. Kew undertakes a great deal of research into grasses and seeds, offsets and leaf material are dispatched to other botanic gardens, universities and research institutions around the world.

The best times to visit the Grass Garden are early summer for the annual grasses and cereals; and autumn and winter for the perennial grasses when these have produced their seedheads.
The grass garden is divided into two main sections: the decorative display area and the informative and educational area.

The decorative area

Perennial grasses: Most of the grasses displayed in the Grass Garden are perennial grasses - i.e. they last for more than one growing season.

Annual grasses: The season of greatest interest for annual grasses is early summer. Every autumn, seed is gathered from the annual grasses and then sown in a cool glasshouse in March or early April. Seedlings are planted out in the Grass Garden in April or May, depending on their tenderness.

Bamboos: Bamboos are the only members of the grass family that grow mainly in forests. There are only three different bamboos displayed in the grass garden, as most of Kew's collection is growing in the Bamboo Garden. A tropical bamboo used in building and construction can also be seen in the Palm House.

The informative and educational area

British native grasses: While there are many different definitions of what constitutes a British native plant, for the purpose of the Grass Garden, a grass is deemed native to the British Isles when it has grown here since the end of the last ice age. Of some 620 genera and 10,000 species of grasses found world-wide, only 54 genera and 150-200 species are truly native to Britain.

The diversity and importance of grasses: The grass family provides most of our food in the form of cereals (wheat, barley, oats, millet, maize, sorghum, etc.) and sugar (sugar cane). In addition, grasses feed our cattle, provide the basis for most of our alcoholic drinks, as well as building materials in the forms of bamboo, thatch, and straw. A number of grasses yield essential oils (lemongrass) and raw materials for cosmetics (oats). Sorghum and sugar cane are being investigated as petrol alternatives, and species of Miscanthus as an alternative fuel source.

Tropical and temperate cereals: Cereals constitute a large part of the human diet in almost every culture in the world. The most important cereal crops are: wheat, barley, rye, oats, maize, sorghum, millet and rice.

Specimen lawns: This area displays different mixes that can be used for sowing lawns. The visitor can compare the texture, colour, coarseness and growth of different seed mixes and pure species available commercially.

Focus plant: Miscanthus sinensis This ornamental grass, native to Southern China, was introduced to the horticultural trade in Western Europe as late as the 1970s. Plants had been introduced before, but never flowered in the prevailing climate. A nurseryman in Germany managed to raise a single batch of seed and from this, several dozen garden forms were selected. After pampas grass, Miscanthus is now one of the most commonly used large ornamental grasses. However, its merits do not end there: research is currently being carried out in the Jodrell Laboratory and elsewhere into the potential use of this plant as an alternative and renewable fuel source.

Continue the tour

Back up to: North Eastern Zone

Carry on to: Duke's Garden