Kew Gardens is set to unveil one of "its most ambitious garden projects in recent years" this summer called the Carbon Garden.

Opening in July 2025, 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 new space were unveiled on Friday, 21 February, as work is underway 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.

Kew Gardens say carbon is is formed in the furnace of stars and can be found in all living things, adding that while human activity has released an "alarming" amount into the atmosphere, plants and fungi are a way to combat this.

Richard Wilford, designer of the Carbon Garden and Manager of Garden Design at RBG Kew comments: "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."

The design tells the story of carbon, the scale of the climate crisis and how we can use nature to combat it say Kew Gardens (credit: Mizzi Studio).

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, adds: "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."

To find out more about Kew Gardens and the Carbon Garden click here.

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