In photos: Wakehurst in West Sussex celebrates fifth anniversary of stunning Winter Garden

Wakehurst in Ardingly is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its Winter Garden.

Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex said it has been half a decade since the attraction opened in January 2019.

People can book tickets at www.kew.org/wakehurst. Entry is £16.50 for adults, free for members, £8.25 for young people (17-25 years) and free for children (0-16 years). One of the UK’s first winter gardens was created at Wakehurst in 1986.

Manager Francis Annette, who led the latest redesign, said: “I took inspiration from different landscapes in nature and what they look like in winter, such as a Himalayan rhododendron glade, a forest fringe, the Siberian tundra, the heathland in nearby Ashdown Forest and the South Downs. I wanted to make sure the garden created a sensory overload of colour, scent and textural contrasts.”

Wakehurst said an initial 33,000 plants were introduced to the area. Francis said: “During the coldest months of the year, the Winter Garden really takes centre stage. Five years on, it’s established extremely well, and continues to evolve. It’s truly a celebration of colour, where strong hues of red and green really make the display pop, creating simple yet striking combinations.”

The Winter Garden features mature Himalayan silver birch (Betula utilis var jacquemontii), Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula tibetica), red dogwood (Cornus), ‘Karl Foerster’ grass (Calamagrostis) and hellebores. There are snowdrops too, as well as Japanese sedge (Carex morrowii), daphne and witch hazel (Hammelis). The all-weather pathways have recently been reinforced with resin to make them accessible, but the Winter Garden is in a dog-free area.