In October 2025, UC Master Gardener James Miser visited the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, located in a suburb of London. The gardens serve as a major display for British Royalty and house many international gifts, including a prominent pagoda. Kew is recognized as a World Heritage Site and holds seven world records related to its collections and facilities.
The origins of the gardens trace back to the 16th century, with acquisition by the Prince of Wales in 1731. The site became national property in 1840. Spanning 330 acres, Kew is among the largest botanical gardens globally and features an extensive collection that includes over 50,000 living plants from 16,900 species and approximately 11,000 trees. There are also 19 distinct living collections.
Kew maintains one of the world’s largest herbariums with more than 8.5 million preserved plant and fungus specimens. Its library contains around 750,000 volumes alongside over 175,000 prints. The institution employs about 580 scientific staff across various departments focused on species identification, biodiversity informatics, comparative plant and fungal biology. It has played a significant role in plant diversity research, conservation efforts, and sustainable development initiatives for centuries.
The garden’s layout includes 26 buildings and an equal number of themed gardens. Notable structures highlighted by Miser include the Palm House—a tropical greenhouse measuring 362 feet long and housing over 1,000 plant species—and the Temperate House—the world’s largest surviving Victorian greenhouse—measuring 628 feet by 92 feet with more than 1,200 species inside.
Miser described visiting galleries dedicated to botanical art such as the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art and the Marianne North Gallery. He also noted features like the Children’s Garden which covers about two acres and is designed for children aged two to twelve with teaching areas focused on earth science themes.
Reflecting on his visit Miser wrote: “I could spend the entire day there. Even in October, there were plants and trees in bloom. I was overwhelmed with the experience and would do it again. There’s lot of nature to explore and learn.”
