Using your membership

Your Membership handbook gives details of all the benefits that you can enjoy as a Friend of Kew. Download your copy now. 

Unlimited entry to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst

As a Friend, you gain free entry throughout the year to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst - two of the world's greatest botanic gardens.

Free entry for a family member with every visit

Bring a family member free of charge each time you visit Kew or Wakehurst and share the beauty of the Gardens. Download your family guest passes here.

Please note: if you are a current Premier Friend, you can continue to use your valid complimentary day passes until the expiry date of your membership.

Kew magazine

Friends' receive our high-quality magazine featuring lively and informative articles on plants, horticulture and the environment, complemented by beautiful photographs and illustrations.

Special events

We run a programme of exclusive member-only events throughout the year. Full details are published in the events section of Kew magazine and on the website. Current Friends' events.

Free entry to 14 reciprocal gardens

Friends' have unlimited access to some of the country's finest gardens in the UK.

Special savings

Friends' can obtain a 5% discount on selected Kew Adult Education courses, £1 off lectures, and discounts in the shops at Kew and Wakehurst.

Free garden entry for Friends of Kew

Whether you are a plant enthusiast, keen garden visitor, or simply looking for an enjoyable day out, be sure to make use of your membership in this way. All you need to do is show your valid Friend of Kew card on entry.

Telephone individual gardens to check opening times.

1. The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Lost for many years beneath a mass of undergrowth, Heligan has been magnificently restored in recent years. It offers almost 200 acres for exploration, including productive gardens brimming with heritage varieties, pleasure grounds full of ancient trees and shrubs, a subtropical Jungle valley and outer estate devoted to the interests of wildlife.

Address: Pentewan, St Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6EN

Telephone: 01726 845100

• The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Enjoy 14 gardens around the UK with
Kew's Premier Friends Membership

2. The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum

Founded by Sir Harold Hillier in 1953, the Gardens cover 73 hectares, containing over 42,000 plants, representing one of the largest collections of hardy trees and shrubs in the British Isles.

Address: Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, Nr Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0QA.

Telephone: 01794 369317 | 01794 369318

• The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum 

3. Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest

A magnificent woodland garden with fine conifers, rhododendrons and 18 record tree species. Home to the National Collection of Conifers.

Address: Bedgebury Road, Bedgebury, Nr Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 2SL

Telephone: 01580 879820

• Bedgebury National Pinetum 

4. Dyffryn Gardens and Arboretum

Twenty-two hectares of Grade I registered Edwardian gardens. Features include a Pompeiian Garden, 100 metre herbaceous border and Arboretum.

Address: St Nicholas, Vale of Glamorgan, CF5 6SU

Telephone: 029 2059 3328

• Dyffryn Gardens and Arboretum 

5. Westonbirt - The National Arboretum

The largest arboretum in the British Isles, comprising 600 acres, over 17,000 trees including 130 champion trees and the National Maple Collection. Westonbirt offers something of interest all year round.

Address: Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8QS

Telephone: 01666 880220

• Westonbirt National Arboretum 

6. University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum

The oldest botanic garden in Britain, on the banks of the Cherwell in Oxford. In two hectares there are 8,000 plant species, representing almost every plant family. Featuring seven glasshouses, rock and water gardens and the National Collection of Euphorbia.

Gardens: Rose Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AZ

Arboretum: Nuneham Courtenay, Oxfordshire OX44 9PX

Telephone: 01865 286690

• University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum 

7. Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses

Six hectares of ornamental gardens, designed by J C Loudon and opened in 1832. Features include four glasshouses - Tropical, Subtropical, Mediterranean and Arid House. The National Collection of Bonsai also resides in the Gardens.

Address: Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3TR

Telephone: 0121 454 1860

• Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses

8. Ness Botanic Gardens

Founded in 1898 by A K Bulley, these Gardens were handed over to the University of Liverpool in 1948, and contain a wide variety of plants made possible by the mild climate and acid soil. Extensive collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers and primulas.

Address: University of Liverpool, Ness, Neston, Cheshire, CH64 4AY

Telephone: 0151 353 0123

• Ness Botanic Gardens 

9. Castle Howard Grounds and Castle Howard Arboretum Trust

The magnificent landscaped grounds of Castle Howard contain many 18th and 19th century features, including a walled rose garden and Ray Wood. The modern, 150-acre arboretum, an independent charitable trust, is jointly managed by Kew and the Castle Howard Estate. The Arboretum Trust also curates the extensive botanical collections in Ray Wood.

Please note: Premier Friends of Kew are not entitled to free entry to the house at Castle Howard.

Address: York, YO60 7DA

Castle Howard Ground: 01653 648333

Castle Howard Arboretum: 01653 648598

• Castle Howard Ground | Castle Howard Arboretum Trust 

10. Holehird Gardens

A ten-acre garden run entirely by volunteers, promoting the knowledge of plants particularly suited to Lakeland conditions. Overlooking Windermere, the Gardens contain fine specimen trees and shrubs, a walled garden with excellent herbaceous borders, extensive rock and heather gardens and the alpine and tufa houses are of particular interest. The garden is home to three National Collections: Astilbe, Hydrangea and Polystichum.

Address: Lakeland Horticultural Society, Patterdale Road, Windermere, LA23 1NP

Telephone: 015394 46008

• Holehird Gardens 

11. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

A world-famous botanic garden set on a hillside, enjoying magnificent views across the city. Renowned for its Rock Garden and the Glasshouse Experience (10 different temperate and tropical glasshouses). Entry to the garden is free to all, but Friends of Kew receive a 10% discount in the Botanics Shop and free entry to the Glasshouses.

Premier Friends of Kew also gain free admission to the three regional gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Address: Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR

Telephone: 0131 552 7171

• Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 

12. Benmore Botanic Garden

Located in a mountainous landscape on the Cowal Peninsula, Benmore is famous for its extensive range of trees and shrubs, including hundreds of rhododendron species and a fine collection of conifers. Most impressive is the spectacular avenue of Giant Redwoods, planted in 1863.

Address: Dunoon, Argyll, PA23 8QU

Telephone: 01369 706261

13. Logan Botanic Garden

Established over 100 years ago as a kitchen garden, Logan retains its traditional walled design, and today contains a wide array of southern hemisphere plants. The climate here is exceptionally mild, providing the ideal environment for plants such as tree ferns, cabbage palms and other unusual sub-tropical plants.

Address: Port Logan, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 9ND

Telephone: 01776 860231 

14. Dawyck Botanic Garden

A large collection of impressive mature trees provides a fine setting for a variety of flowering trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. Burnside walks pass through mature woodland rich in wildlife.

Address: Stobo, Near Peebles, Scottish Borders, EH45 9JU

Telephone: 01721 760254