Our gardening team are all local volunteers who enjoy fresh air, interacting with the natural environment, using or learning gardening skills and mixing with like-minded people. We’re always on the lookout for new members to lend a hand and welcome all volunteers.
Kew is known as a green place; for many synonymous with blooming flower beds, verdant parks, and meticulously maintained gardens. Think of the world famous Royal Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the gardens of the National Archives and the Green itself with its cricket pitch; at the heart of village life and enjoyed by so many. You may however be surprised to know that many of our smaller areas of greenery are in fact gardened by our volunteers at the Kew Society.
Thousands of people a day benefit from, often without realising it, the flower beds we have planted at Kew Gardens Station, for example. A decade ago these were sad, overgrown and overlooked. Today though, on arrival at the station, commuters and visitors are greeted by a harmonious blend of pinks, purples, whites and greens, from the 1500 flowers, grasses and shrubs we’ve planted. Not only is it lovely to look at, it’s great for biodiversity too We’re doing similar work supporting Richmond Council in other public areas and have also replanted the war memorial on Kew Green.
We garden from March to November, often meeting on Wednesday mornings, but some gardeners get involved at other times to fit in with their other commitments. Please do get in touch if you’d like to get involved and do come over and say hello if you see us working.
The distinctive landscape planting on the platforms that you see today was created at the instigation of the Kew Society. The Royal Botanic Gardens helped with the original design, which includes three distinct areas: a Mediterranean gravel bed, a woodland bed and two long narrow grass beds. Funding came from Richmond Council, the Kew Society and Energy Garden with the latter assisting our gardening team in planting of over 1,500 plants in 2015.
During the summer months our team of volunteer gardeners can be seen caring for the plants, watering and digging out weeds to make sure the flowers provide the colourful and fragrant welcome thousands of daily visitors to the Royal Botanic Gardens, National Archives and the village would expect. We are grateful to the TfL team who always give us a warm welcome and assistance with any practical day to day problems and if you see our team in action please come and say hello. We’d love to meet you.
Our replanting of the beds by the Greenhouse Café in Kew village took place in 2022 using a design by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to provide an ever-changing colourful display from spring to autumn.
A mixture of drought tolerant plants have been chosen including lilac geraniums, libertia, purple salvia ‘Rockin Deep Purple’ and white erigerons. We’ve used similar plants around the two trees in the plaza, to the east of the station, to brighten the area for customers of the various cafes here as well as visitors and local residents.
The Kew Society’s gardening team also maintains the eclectic garden at the corner of North Road and High Park Road. The garden was originally landscaped by Richmond Council but had fallen into some disrepair.
With an informal mix of flowering plants and shrubs, it also has seating for passers by. We like to be creative in choosing plants that make this space beautiful and welcoming.
The Kew Society has been instrumental too in the replanting with drought resistant plants, and maintenance of the flower beds around the Kew Green Memorial adjacent to St Anne’s Church on Kew Green.The memorial, which commemorates men from Kew who lost their lives fighting in two World Wars, had become overgrown.The garden has been designed to provide an area of contemplative beauty to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives.
A Kew resident, Marian Mollett, has written an interesting article on Kew’s War Memorials: Remembering the Men of Kew
Kew Society Head Gardener Anna Anderson opens her garden on July 6 as part of the National Garden Scheme. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how a small shade plot can be transformed into a green oasis.
An endangered stag beetle, spotted making its way down the steps of the subway at Kew Gardens Station, has been re-homed to a safer spot by Kew Society volunteers.
Thursday 10th July - Saturday 26th July | 7:00pm
Join us for a leisurely stroll through Brentford, old and new, with your Guide Shirley Newton on a Kew Society member only event.
Whether you live in the area, work here or just love to visit, you can help us care for Kew by joining the Kew Society.
Membership is just £10 a year per person, and every new member increases our influence and ability to work on your behalf.
Please join us or renew today and play a part in helping keep Kew a great place to be.
Only
£10
per year
