Dedicate a woodland area at Wakehurst - Bethlehem Wood
Dedicating a woodland area is a unique way to celebrate the life of someone special. Every year we plant new botanical specimens to enrich and enhance the collections, creating remarkable woodlands that will live for generations to come. Bethlehem Wood, located at Wakehurst Place, is home to the National Collection of birch.
Bethlehem Wood is comprised almost entirely of birches. There are more than 340 hybrids, cultivars and species, and they represent the National Collection.
Introducing Bethlehem Wood
The birches in Bethlehem Wood range from Britain’s common white-trunked silver birch (Betula pendula) through to species from China and North America. In early spring the ground is coloured yellow with primroses, then in May, the bluebells come into bloom.
Make a dedication today - download our commemorative giving form (pdf) or phone us on 0208 332 3200 (Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm) to make a donation by card.
A unique collection
Wakehurst’s birches are subdivided into Asian, European and American continental zones that demonstrate the genus’ vast geographic range. Specimens include the silver birch (Betula pendula), the red-brown-trunked Betula albo-sinensis, and a rare North American tree, the Virginia round-leafed birch (Betula uber).
The birch collection in Bethlehem Wood is the longest established and most comprehensive of Wakehurst’s four National Plant Collections. It is regarded by several experts as being the most comprehensive in cultivation anywhere. In 1999 it was awarded scientific status by the NCCPG (now the National Plant Collections).
Bringing together as many birch trees as possible provides the opportunity to observe the taxonomy, ornamental merit and cultivation requirements of the genus. The collection already contains several named forms of Betula utilis (e.g. Betula utilis var. jacquemontii ‘Sauwala White’ and ‘Grayswood Ghost’) and several of hybrid origin that have Betula utilis in their parentage (e.g. Betula ‘Inverleith’ and Betula ‘Jermyns’).
Dedicate a woodland area
Your donation will be recorded with your personal dedication on the Touchscreen Register at Wakehurst, located in Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, and you will receive a certificate thanking you for your gift.
Make a dedication today - download our commemorative giving form (pdf) or phone us on 0208 332 3200 (Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm) to make a donation by card.
Woodland areas at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst
Kew Gardens: Redwood Grove or the Woodland Glade, either side of the Cedar Vista.
Wakehurst: Bethlehem Wood, Horsebridge Wood, Coates Wood, or the Pinetum.
There is also a range of heritage trees available for individual sponsorship at Kew Gardens, which start at £5,000.
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