Kew Gardens is opening a new garden inspired by the climate crisis

Plants are one of the many things at risk of disappearing thanks global warming. But they’re also one of the things that can help fight it. And this summer, Kew Gardens is introducing a brand new permanent garden that’ll demonstrate exactly how. 

After it was given the green light by Richmond Council last year, Kew Gardens is launching the Carbon Garden. As the name suggests, it’s been designed to illustrate the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis and show the crucial part that carbon plays in sustaining life on Earth. 

🌳 RECOMMENDED: London’s best parks and green spaces. 

How exactly do you portray all that through plants? Well, the plot will include a crop of blue and red perennials inspired by the global warming stripes; a dry garden full of drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants ‘illustrative of the plants we might look to for London gardens in 30 years’ and a rain garden and bioswale, a ditch full of grass, shrubs and other vegetation that collects polluted stormwater runoff, soaks it into the ground and filters out pollution. 

Made possible through funding from the Biffa Award, plans for the Carbon Garden also involve planting 26 new carbon-capturing trees and building a central pavilion. The pavilion has been designed to look like ‘fungal fruiting body’ growing from the garden. It will be made using low-carbon natural materials and feature a forward-tilted canopy that’ll direct rainwater into the rain garden.

The garden will officially open to the public in July. Richard Wilford, designer of the Carbon Garden 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.’

Central London’s new Lindt megastore opens this month – with the UK’s biggest Lindor pick ’n’ mix. 

The UK’s ‘best’ supermarket is opening a new foodhall in south London. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.