In the Rainforest House you'll find an assortment of tropical plants including cocoa, coffee, rubber, avocado, cinnamon, sugarcane, pineapple, papaya, ginger, cardamom, plantain, vanilla and many many more. With no autumn or winter to halt growth, these plants grow at a phenomenal rate and are quite the spectacle. Some plants have enormous leaves which make the most of the available light, climbers race upwards in search of gaps in the canopy, whereas epiphytes perch high up in the canopy on the branches of other trees.
Head to our Plants that Changed the World display in the Lower Garden to find beautiful willow-work sculptures of fruit and vegetables created by our talented horticultural team.
At first glance, the Merton Border in the Lower Garden might seem untidy, but this sustainable border is being left to die back naturally for a reason: it makes a wonderful habitat for small birds and mammals throughout the winter – providing both shelter and a source of food. Look out for wrens, blue tits and blackbirds. When you look closely, what at first glance might seem dull is really a wonderful array of botanical shape and structure: the skeletons and scaffolding of summer’s glory.
In the Walled Garden visitors can find a number of seasonal beauties including a number of witch hazels, such as Hamamelis mollis.