RHS Garden Wisley through the seasons

What it is

Wisley was given to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1903 and is its main garden. It is a place to learn what grows well. Alongside the display areas there is a trials ground, where many varieties of one plant, sweet peas or dahlias for example, are grown side by side and judged. The long mixed borders peak from June to September. There is a large rose garden, a rock garden, a wild garden with rhododendrons and camellias in spring, an orchard, and a big glasshouse with tropical and desert zones. Plants are labelled throughout, which makes it useful for gardeners.

Before you go

• Bring a notebook or use your phone. The labels are the point.
• Allow four hours. The trials field is at the far end and easy to miss.
• It is hard to reach without a car. Buses run from Woking station on some days.

The flowers you will see

RoseWoody perennial plants with showy, often fragrant flowers in many coloursRhododendronA vast group of shrubs and trees with showy blooms in many coloursDahliaA bushy perennial with tuberous roots and bright, star-shaped bloomsCamelliaEvergreen shrubs and trees with showy blooms, best known for tea and garden flowers

Also part of it, and being written: Sweet pea.

Read more

RHS Garden WisleyA major English garden with glasshouses, borders and plant trials in Surrey

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