This summer, Kew Gardens will unveil one of its most ambitious garden projects in recent years: the Carbon Garden. Opening in July 2025, Kew say ‘this innovative new garden will not only showcase the essential role plants and fungi play in tackling climate change but will also highlight the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis’. The designs for the space were revealed last month, as work began on the garden.

Designed as a permanent new garden within London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Carbon Garden aims to reveal the invisible, bringing to life the critical role carbon plays in sustaining life on Earth, communicating the scale of the climate crisis, and sharing the extraordinary potential of the natural world to combat it.

Staged in a striking display inspired by climate stripes, a curated selection of herbaceous perennials illustrate the dramatic rise in global average temperatures over time. This powerful visual statement welcomes visitors into the garden, alongside a soil profile, a rocky outcrop and an exposed coal seam showing fossilized plants, highlighting the connection between plants and fossil fuels.

Delving into links between carbon emissions and climate change, a dry garden begins to showcase ways we can work together with plants to adapt to a changing climate. Here, drought-tolerant and Mediterranean plants from hotter climates will dominate – a startling contrast to the herbaceous planting, illustrative of the plants we might look to for London gardens in 30 years.

Nature offers hope through its extraordinary capacity to sequester and lock in carbon. At least 26 new trees will be planted, selected for their resilience to projected future climate conditions. Trees play a critical role in helping urban areas adapt to climate change thanks to the myriad of ecosystem services they offer, including absorption of carbon dioxide, shade and shelter provision, and improvement of air quality by filtering out pollutants. A rain garden and bioswale illustrate the ways we can manage water flow, prevent soil erosion, reduce flooding, recharge moisture into the soil and support moisture-tolerant plants that maintain soil stability and carbon storage.

Grasslands, wildflower meadows and native hedgerows will boost biodiversity, as biodiverse habitats are more resilient and better at storing carbon than monocultures.
Appearing to grow from the garden as a symbolic fungal fruiting body, a central pavilion designed by Mizzi Studio is inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the plant and fungal kingdoms, and is created using low-carbon, natural materials. A forward-tilted canopy directs rainwater into the rain garden, and sheltered space will support school visits and community activities.

The Carbon Garden encourages visitors to become advocates for nature, highlighting actions we can all take in our everyday lives to support the health of plants and the planet.

Richard Wilford, designer of the Carbon Garden and Manager of Garden Design at RBG Kew says: ‘‘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.’’

RBG Kew is leading cutting-edge research into carbon capture and the role plants play in mitigating climate change. Scientists at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, are examining how various ecosystems, including grasslands and woodlands, contribute to carbon sequestration through a dynamic research programme, Nature Unlocked. This aims to inform conservation strategies and land management practices.

Simultaneously, horticulturists and arboriculturists at Kew Gardens are researching the trees of the future, using Kew’s 11,000 trees to assess species resilience. These projects are working to determine which plants will not only thrive in a changing climate but also contribute to the mitigation of the climate crisis.

The Carbon Garden has been made possible thanks to funding from Biffa Award through the Landfill Communities Fund, funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and generous philanthropy and donations.

Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager, said: ‘‘We are immensely proud to support the Carbon Garden, which will educate and inspire visitors about the vital role of carbon in our environment. Through the Landfill Communities Fund, we are committed to funding projects that have a lasting positive impact on both people and the planet. We are particularly excited that this garden will not only showcase Kew’s research but will also serve as a hub for learning, demonstrating how collective action can drive real environmental change. Biffa Award is honoured to play a role in bringing this vision to life.’’

Opening in July 2025, the Carbon Garden is described as ‘a must-see attraction’ which is celebrating everything that is wonderful about trees. Alongside The Power of Trees exhibition in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, and Of the Oak, an inspiring outdoor installation by Marshmallow Laser Feast which explores the secrets of Kew’s magnificent Lucombe Oak, there are a host of ways to enjoy the wonder of Kew’s collections.