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Discover the UK’s first ever gardening science hub!

From green gardening projects to innovative biodiversity efforts, the environment has always been at the heart of the Royal Horticultural Society’s work. Now, with the launch of RHS Hilltop at the RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, the charity wants to inspire the next generation of gardeners to help protect the future of our plants, planet and people.

As the UK’s first gardening science hub, RHS Hilltop is a place where people of all ages can enjoy a hands-on way of learning about the environment. By visiting the different gardens and participating in talks and demonstrations, guests will learn how they can adopt sustainable practices in their own gardens and outdoor spaces.

There will also be events held in the large interactive exhibition space, plus the chance to browse the UK’s biggest collection of horticultural heritage and visit the herbarium.

The RHS Hilltop site is surrounded by three unique gardens, each of which is dedicated to different areas of sustainable research and has been designed by an RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal winner:

Wellbeing Garden

Designed by Matt Keightley, the Wellbeing Garden brings a new sense of tranquillity to Wisley. It’s full of plants that will soothe your mind and body, including the dwarf pines that mark the route, fragranced beds that add a delicate scent to the air and the gushing water rill.

World Food Garden

Designed by Ann-Marie Powell, this traditional kitchen garden features a contemporary twist – find your way through the world food maze, visit the herb and edible flower zone or pick up some ideas in the good to grow section. As it’s surrounded by a trained fruit boundary of alternating fence styles, each demonstrating different growing and training techniques you can try at home, you certainly won’t be short of inspiration in this garden.

Wildlife Garden

With the aim of creating a haven for wildlife, garden designer Ann-Marie Powell carefully selected the plants and water features in this space to attract as many birds, bees and insects as possible.

Meet the team

There are 70 RHS scientists and PhD students working in the onsite labs. They’re all engaged with exciting projects, including finding new ways to capture carbon, cool cities and ease localised flooding, while also learning more about which plants best absorb pollution. As RHS Hilltop has two accessible learning studios, as well as a teaching garden, visiting students can meet these knowledgeable scientists to receive valuable career advice and gain more of an insight into the horticultural industry.

What’s more, by visiting RHS Hilltop, the public will be able to learn more about the invaluable work going on here and discover how they can help by adopting sustainable practices in their own gardens.

Show and tell

RHS Garden Wisley prides itself on helping visitors learn more about the environment. That’s why it’s going to launch the daily Hilltop Live programme, which will give members of the public the chance to participate in insightful talks and demonstrations run by the horticultural, heritage and science teams. Visitors and school children will be able to watch exciting experiments as they happen, plus enjoy behind-the-scenes tours of the state-of-the-art laboratories.