22 March 2020
A message from our Director
We are sad to close our gardens at Kew and Wakehurst until further notice.
We have made the difficult decision to close Kew Gardens and Wakehurst until further notice.
We are doing this to support nationwide efforts to control the spread of coronavirus and encourage social distancing.
There is no salve quite like nature for an anxious mind.
We wanted to keep our botanic gardens open for as long as possible, to offer our visitors a space of tranquillity and beauty at this stressful time.
However, our absolute priority is the health of our visitors and staff.
Given the increasingly reduced number of places for people to go, we were concerned that high numbers of visitors would not allow for safe social distancing at entry points and we wanted to avoid any unnecessary travel.
If you have a ticket or booked a visit to our gardens, please visit our tickets and prices page for Kew Gardens or Wakehurst for your options.
We are committed to caring for our world-class collections, with a core team of expert staff maintaining our plants and we thank the team who take on this task.
We will ensure that when we re-open, you will be able to enjoy and explore our magnificent gardens.
We invite you into our community online, through Kew Gardens Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or on our Wakehurst Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Keep returning to our Read & watch section for regular stories and plant facts and activities.
We will provide you with opportunities to learn and join in by sharing your images, thoughts and experiences.
As a charity, closing our gates is an extremely difficult decision to make.
Plants feed us, warm us, and most importantly in these trying times, they heal us.
The cure for some of the world’s most devastating illnesses could be growing in the Amazon rainforest or on a Himalayan mountainside.
The income we make from entry fees and membership supports the world-leading research that happens alongside our partners in over 100 countries.
Find out how you can support us in our conservation and scientific work.
Our thoughts and best wishes are with you all and we look forward to welcoming you back to our gardens.
