The Carbon Garden will showcase the role that plants can play in fighting the effects of climate change
Scientists and horticulturalists at Kew Gardens are undertaking cutting-edge research into the roles that plants can play in the climate crisis and this summer, it’s being brought to life with the opening of the Carbon Garden. The design of the garden will showcase the impact that climate change is having on the natural world, and how plants and fungi are helping with climate repair through their ability to capture carbon.
A display inspired by climate stripes (a visualisation of how the Earth’s temperatures have risen over the last two centuries), featuring blue and red perennials, a rocky outcrop and a coal seam showing fossilised plants, will welcome visitors to the garden. A variety of trees, grasses, wildflowers and native hedgerows will be planted around the space to help boost biodiversity and improve the air quality.
The Carbon Garden will also include a dry garden section, featuring drought-tolerant and Mediterranean plants to show what gardens in London might look like in 30 years; a rain garden and bioswale to illustrate how we can reduce flooding and how moisture-tolerant plants can maintain soil stability; and a central pavilion made from low-carbon materials in the shape of a mushroom, with a tilted canopy that can direct rainwater into the rain garden.
Speaking about the Carbon Garden, its designer Richard Wilford said, “The Carbon Garden offers a unique opportunity to showcase our ongoing research, combining scientific insight with thoughtful design and beautiful planting to highlight the role of carbon in our lives, how it moves through the environment and how plants and fungi can help us tackle climate change. We hope the Carbon Garden inspires visitors to act and join us in shaping a more sustainable, resilient future for life on our planet.”
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Key Information
Opening date | July 2025
Address | Kew Gardens, London, TW9 3AF
For more information | kew.org
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