Plants for gardeners
Kew is renowned for its Gardens, which host a diverse range of plants from all over the world. It has the oldest living orchid collection in existence, dating back over 200 years, and a world-renowned Arboretum of 14, 000 trees stretching across most of the Gardens’ 300 acres. Wakehurst, too, has 465 acres of country estate with woodlands and ornamental gardens.
Discover the plants and trees that feature in gardens at home, around the world and here at Kew.
Did you find what you were looking for?
Answer a few questions about this page and help us improve our website!
Orchids
Charles Darwin, in a letter to Kew’s then Director Joseph Hooker, wrote 'I was never more interested in any subject in my life, than in this of orchids'.
Long prized by collectors for their beauty, orchid species and hybrids are cultivated for the simple enjoyment of the flowers.
Discover where orchids come from, how they are pollinated and all the shapes and sizes they come in.
Ornamentals & house plants
Ornamentals and house plants are chosen primarily for their attractive appearance - but they can be useful too!
Ornamentals are selected for their attractive appearance, but may also provide shade, attract wildlife or serve as a barrier.
House plants are easy to care for and may provide additional services, such as insect pest control, or be a source of edible or medicinal parts.
Conifers
The conifers are a group of woody shrubs and trees, including pines, firs, spruces, yews, junipers, cypresses and cedars.
Alpines
Alpine plants grow above the tree line and are adapted to extreme weather conditions, surviving drought, high winds, intense sunlight and poor soils.
Trees
There are thought to be between 60,000 and 80,000 species of tree in the world!
Tree species are amazingly diverse: some tower hundreds of feet into the sky and some can live for 10,000 years; some live submerged in water for large parts of their lives and yet others survive desert conditions.
Blogs from the Gardens
How to Create a “Slab-Planted” Bonsai
by: Richard Kernick, Bonsai blog13 May 2013
Richard, Kew’s bonsai specialist, and renowned bonsai expert Nobuyuki Kajiwara look into the process of creating a “slab-planted” Japanese white pine bonsai.
- 2 likes
- 0 comments
New trees for Kew's historic vistas
by: Tony Hall, Arboretum team blog29 Apr 2013
The arboretum team have been out planting some new trees along Kew's historic vistas. This is to ensure they are maintained for generations to come.
- 11 likes
- 3 comments
Follow Kew
Keep up to date with events and news from Kew
