WAKEHURST PLACE

Set in 465 acres and managed by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst boasts ornamental gardens, temperate woodlands, a nature reserve and an Elizabethan mansion.

At Wakehurst you can find plants native to the UK and specimens from around the world, displayed in formal and informal gardens which emulate the Southern hemisphere, the Himalayas and other zones. Wakehurst’s woodlands contain specimens of temperate trees from all around the world and carpets of wild flowers which provide contrasting colours throughout the year.

Wakehurst is currently home to over 2.3 billion seeds of 40,000 different plant species. Visitors can discover more about it’s vital mission and as the largest wild seed conservation project in the world, it is an experience not to be missed. It is the largest, most diverse wild plant species genetic resource in the world.

Scattered across the 150-acre wildlife haven, are more than 270 nesting boxes for native hazel dormice. As part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) to help the conservation of this adorable endangered species, the wardens check these boxes and record the sex, weight, breeding condition and number of young of each dormouse.