Where creativity meets connection
This summer, Wakehurst is bursting with natural beauty, offering visitors a range of breathtaking landscapes to explore. The Water Gardens provide a serene escape, teeming with lush greenery and rich biodiversity, where ferns and Gunnera create a vibrant display around Black Pond, and trickling streams offer a tranquil retreat. Wakehurst meadows reach their seasonal peak, with Coronation Meadow and Bloomers Valley transforming into wildflower wonderlands filled with colour and the hum of pollinators.
Meanwhile, the American Prairie boasts towering giants, such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), reaching up to eight feet tall, amongst the 50 unique species to discover, also including rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Zizia, and Camassia. The Walled Garden is Wakehurst’s most exquisite and intimate space where towering colours and sunny paths provide respite and horticultural inspiration.
For those seeking shaded walks and hidden gems, Wakehurst’s woodlands offer dappled light, and the picturesque Westwood Lake nestled at the bottom of the valley is ideal for adventurous explorers. The historic Loder Valley Nature Reserve has recently reopened, inviting visitors to wander through ancient woodlands and encounter wildlife at specially designed hides along the water’s edge. For those seeking meadows, Hanging Meadow is an ancient grassland that shimmers with wonderful wildflowers and rich insect life.
Children’s & Community Garden
Nestled around the corner from the Mansion, the Children’s & Community Garden has been newly expanded and now hosts new vegetable plots, accessed by wide buggy-friendly pathways, as well as the family-favourite Mud Kitchen. The Garden is a haven for wildlife, with a bug bed planted to attract critters such as caterpillars, a woodery providing a new habitat, and an experimental bee bank, providing a home for ground-nesting bees.
Wakehurst Mansion
The Wakehurst Mansion doors have reopened, inviting visitors to explore a place where history, science, and nature intertwine. Two new immersive exhibition spaces invite visitors to delve in to the stories that shape Wakehurst. Discover the humble beginnings of the Millennium Seed Bank and our ongoing scientific mission to protect nature in the Mansion’s Chapel or visit the Billiard Room to uncover the history of the Wakehurst site and importance of our living collections and our relationship with the National Trust. The newly restored library offers a lounge space for visitors to pause and soak in the Mansion’s unique atmosphere whilst exploring the botanic gardens.
Events
Seedscapes
Until 14 September (all day)
Free with entry
An exhibition of art, sculpture, and sound set throughout the gardens, inspired by the science of seeds, and the groundbreaking research carried out daily at the Millennium Seed Bank, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Discover the work of six international artists, whose installations highlight the urgency and beauty of global seed conservation. Through sculpture, light, colour and sound, each artwork aims to inspire, engage and reconnect visitors with the role of seeds in culture, science and conservation.
Nature Heroes: Globe Trotter
Thurs 21 July - Fri 5 Sept (all day)
Mission and badge: £4
Join us in celebrating 25 years of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, with nearly 2.5 billion seeds from 40,000 wild plant species safely stored. Set off on your own Nature Heroes mission across the globe, from Asia to Australia, South America to the Caribbean and beyond - you’ll be walking the world, all without leaving the gardens! Grab your map and discover amazing plants from around the world.
Trees for Bees trail
Until Sept (all day)
Free with entry
Visitors can play a role in vital pollinator science by carrying out pollinator safaris on Wakehurst's trees. Grab a free guide, download the app and follow our trail to help our scientists understand our bee population. Community groups can also sign up to an Engagement Session to hear from our scientists and enjoy a guided tour.
Bank a Seed in the Millennium Seed Bank
From Thu 21 July (all day)
Free with entry
Experience the journey of a seed first-hand with a band-new interactive installation in the Millennium Seed Bank Atrium. Children can step into the shoes of scientists who are working to bank the world’s wild seeds, sparking curiosity and discovery.
Bat walk
Every Thu - 24 July - 28 Aug (8pm - 10pm)
Wakehurst and Kew members £22, Non-members £25
Choose between two immersive experiences: the woodland bat walk, which takes you down to serene Westwood Lake, or the shorter, accessible garden bat walk, centred around the peaceful Mansion Pond. The woodland walk covers approximately 4 km on a steady path, with an uphill return for those who enjoy a bit of a climb.
Guided tours
Tues to Thurs (11.30am and 2pm) Fri – Mon (11.30am)
Free, subject to availability
Whether it’s your first time visiting or you're a regular to the gardens wanting to learn more, join a volunteer-led tour to discover seasonal areas of interest, learn about the history of the landscape and discover behind-the-scenes stories of the gardens.
Millennium Seed Bank Atrium Guided Tours
Mondays (2pm)
Free, subject to availability
Step inside the most biodiverse place on earth and enjoy a guided tour of the MSB Atrium. In the year of the Millennium Seed Bank’s 25th anniversary, discover the building’s remarkable history as trained volunteer guides will take you through the journey of a seed from collection to banking and point out areas of interest through the laboratory windows.
Dog walks at Wakehurst
Every day
Standard entry applies
Bring your four-legged friend out on a dog walk with a difference. Explore shaded woodlands of the world, let energetic pups run free in the secure off-lead area and enjoy dog-friendly treats at the onsite cafes.
Parkrun at Wakehurst
Every Saturday (from 9am)
Free
Pace yourself through our scenic landscape as Parkrun is now at Wakehurst. Every Saturday morning, embark on a fun, free and friendly 5K. Participants must register with Parkrun before their first event.
Community Access Scheme (CAS) Events
The CAS at Wakehurst is an annual group membership for organisations that provide services directly to people who face physical, sensory, psychological, or social barriers to visiting Wakehurst independently. The below events are available exclusively for members of the CAS at Wakehurst. Throughout the seasons, there are a variety of CAS events for participants of all ages and backgrounds, providing opportunities to socialise and connect with nature.
Nature Connect
Fri 25 July (10.30am - 1pm / 2pm - 4.30pm)
A monthly programme designed to help you feel comfortable and confident in nature. Over three months, you’ll learn simple ways to connect, play and engage with the natural world. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver or someone looking to unwind and boost wellbeing, this is the perfect opportunity to build new skills and enjoy the outdoors.
Sow and Grow: monthly gardening group
Mon 18 Aug (10.30am - 1pm)
Build confidence in the garden and create friendships in this monthly hands-on gardening workshop.
Nature Natters
Mon 28 July and Mon 25 Aug (11am - 12pm and 1pm - 2pm)
Join expert volunteer guides in an inclusive walking group, with Alliance for Better Care’s social prescribers.
Dementia Walk
Tues 29 July and Tues 26 Aug (11am - 12pm)
Enjoy a relaxing walk around the beautiful gardens and connect with nature.
Exhibitions
Surviving or Thriving: An exhibition on plants and us
Daily (10am – 3.30pm)
Millennium Seed Bank
This exhibition brings Kew’s State of the World’s Plants reports to life, telling the story of why some plants are only surviving, while others are thriving.
Wakehurst is Kew’s wild botanic garden in the Sussex High Weald National Landscape. Its ancient and beautiful landscapes span 535 acres and are a place for escape, exploration, tranquility, and wonder. Its diverse collection of plants from Britain and around the globe thrive within a tapestry of innovative gardens, temperate woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. Wakehurst is a centre for UK biodiversity and global conservation, seed research and ecosystem science. At its heart is Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, the world’s largest store of seeds from wild plant species.
Images courtesy of RBG Kew
Mark O'Donnell
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