New appointment for curator of living collections at Kew Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew announces the appointment of Alex Summers to the role of Curator of Living Collections.
Reporting into the new Director of Gardens, Raoul Curtis Machin, this role provides pivotal leadership in both the delivery of Kew's Living Collections Strategy and the Landscape Succession Plan, as well as the leadership of horticultural teams at Kew Gardens.
As a graduate of the Kew Diploma of Horticulture, Alex's appointment marks his return to Kew Gardens. Prior to this, he completed the Cambridge University Botanic Garden (CUBG) traineeship and read a degree in Zoology at Durham University.
Following his time at RBG Kew, Alex undertook the 12-month RHS/GCA Interchange Scholarship at Longwood Gardens in the USA.
He has a background managing and curating living collections at CUBG and the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and of looking after high-quality heritage landscapes within the National Trust.
He has an MPhil in taxonomy from Cambridge University completing a molecular and morphological revision of the family Neuradaceae, and his botanical and horticultural interests have taken him to diverse environments including the rainforests and mountains of Borneo and Vietnam, as well as the deserts of California and South Africa.
On his appointment, Alex Summers says: "It's a tremendous honour to return to Kew Gardens, where I spent the early stages of my horticultural career.
"As Curator of Living Collections, I'm excited to help shape the future of one of the world's most iconic gardens, which is not only home to a beautiful collection of living plants but also offers vital tools in our response to the biodiversity and climate crises.
"I look forward to working with Kew's exceptional teams to champion plant conservation, advance horticultural science, and ensure its landscapes and plant collections thrive for generations to come."
Richard Deverell, Director of RBG Kew commented: "We're absolutely delighted to welcome Alex back to Kew. His depth of horticultural expertise, coupled with a real passion for plant conservation, make him an outstanding choice to lead our Living Collections.
"As a Kew alumnus, Alex already understands and embodies the values that underpin our work here. I'm very much looking forward to the impact of his leadership—not only in shaping the future of our Gardens, but in inspiring more people to value and protect the natural world."
Alex is expected to take up his post at RBG Kew in July 2025, replacing Simon Toomer after three and a half years at RBG Kew.
During his time as Curator of Living Collections, Simon Toomer has spearheaded numerous successes for Kew's world-leading living collections.
These include Kew Gardens becoming the third public garden in the UK to receive Plant Healthy accreditation, recognising the quality of its plant health and biosecurity measures, as well as co-authoring Kew's pioneering Landscape Succession Plan and developing a Living Landscape Plan.
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