RHS Garden, Wisley

RHS Garden Wisley stands in the Surrey countryside southwest of London, beside the River Wey. It is a large garden run by the Royal Horticultural Society on land once owned by a Victorian businessman. The site covers 240 acres and includes glasshouses, an arboretum and many decorative gardens. Formal and informal plantings surround a trials field where new plant varieties are tested. The garden also contains laboratories, a library and learning spaces for visitors. Wisley is the second most visited paid-entry garden in the United Kingdom. Over 1.2 million people came in 2025, making it a major destination for garden lovers. The Bicentenary Glasshouse opened in 2007 after a £7.7 million investment and covers three-quarters of an acre. A £20 million Welcome Building with a restaurant and visitor facilities opened in 2019. The garden’s history includes contributions from Gertrude Jekyll and Piet Oudolf, who redesigned the Glasshouse Landscape borders in 2024. Visitors find a wide range of plant collections and garden styles. The Glasshouse displays desert, tropical and temperate climates, while outdoor areas include rock gardens, rose borders and Battleston Hill’s rhododendrons. The Jellicoe Canal features water lilies in season, and the Wildlife Garden and Wellbeing Garden offer quieter spaces. A plant information centre and café provide practical support, and the arboretum contains conifers and heathers. The garden’s mature trees and sloping meadows create a varied landscape for exploration.