Using your Kew Membership
Membership offers you the opportunity to explore the world's finest botanic gardens throughout the year and the reward of knowing that your subscription is helping us to maintain the gardens both at Kew and Wakehurst Place.
The Orangery, built 1761, is the largest classical style building in the Gardens and today is a popular cafe-restaurant
Coming soon - in the next few weeks we will be introducing our new online membership pages, allowing you to join or renew by Direct Debit or credit/debit card. While we are working on this, you can pay for membership at the Gates when you visit, or phone us on 0208 332 3200.
Unlimited entry to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place
Your membership card entitles you to free entry throughout the year to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place - two of the world's greatest botanic gardens.
Reduced-rate entry for guest
Each Premier Friend and Season Ticket member can bring a guest to the Gardens at a reduced price, currently £11 (until 31 March 2010, then £11.50 until 31 March 2011). Excludes Concessionary Season Ticket members.
Free day passes for family members
Premier Friends each receive six free day passes a year, so you can bring members of your family with you when you visit.
Kew magazine
Premier Friends receive our high-quality magazine featuring lively and informative articles on plants, horticulture and the environment, complemented by beautiful photographs and illustrations. Season Ticket members receive inside Kew, a regular events listing.
Special events
We run a programme of exclusive member-only events throught the year. Full details are published in the events seciton of Kew magazine, on the website and in the Season Ticket newsletter, inside Kew. Current members' events.
Free entry to some of the country's finest gardens
Premier Friends also have unlimited access to 14 other magnificant gardens across the UK.
Special savings
Premier Friends can obtain a 5% discount on selected Kew Adult Education courses, £1 off lectures, and at Kew and Wakehurst Place shops.
Free Garden entry for Premier Friends
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 Kew Premier Friend 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: 01794 369317
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
A magnificent woodland garden with fine conifers, rhododendrons and 18 record tree species. Home to the National Collection of Conifers.
Address: Bedgebury, Nr Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 2SL
Telephone: 01580 879820
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
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
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, South Wirral, CH64 4AY
Telephone: 0151 353 0123
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
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 Pebbles, Scottish Borders, EH45 9JU
Telephone: 01721 760254
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