Rose Garden | Kew

Home to 170 different species and cultivars of rose, the Rose Garden is designed to be a floral feast for the eye with bold plantings of mixed shrub roses.

The Rose Garden was originally designed by the renowned English landscape architect William Nesfield in 1848.

It wasn’t planted with roses until the 1920s, but since then it has blossomed with 25 new rose beds being added in the last five years.

Rosa 'Port Sunlight' in the Rose Garden — Rosa 'Port Sunlight' in Kew's Rose Garden, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

Colourful roses in the Rose Garden — Rose Garden, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

Rose Garden — Rose Garden, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

Rose 'Crown Princess Margareta' — Rose 'Crown Princess Margareta' (Ellen McHale © RBG Kew)

Peach coloured, yellowy flowers of Rosa 'Crown Princess Margareta' — Rosa 'Crown Princess Margareta', Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

'Lady of Shallot' rose in the Rose Garden — 'Lady of Shallot', Rose Garden, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

Several colourful roses growing in front of a large glasshouse — Rose Garden at Kew, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

To see it at its best, head to the Rose Garden in the morning or early evening where the scent lingers along the mowed walkways between the beds.

See if you can spot the bright scarlet Rosa ‘Trumpeter’ or sniff out the Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’, which is a beautiful apricot colour with a fragrant scent.

Other highlights include the striking Rosa 'Princess Anne' with its deep pink petals, and the Rosa 'Port Sunlight' which has a strong tea-like smell.

Visiting the Rose Garden

We may occasionally need to close attractions for maintenance or visitor safety: check for planned closures and visitor notices before you visit.

Flowers at the Agius Evolution Garden

Kew Gardens

Agius Evolution Garden

Weave your way through the story of plant evolution in our newest attraction.

Learn about plant evolution

Close-up of grasses in the Grass Garden at Kew

Kew Gardens

Grass Garden

With around 550 species, our Grass Garden offers a chance to encounter the full beauty and variety of grass.

Our grass collection

Kew's kitchen garden

Kew Gardens

Edible Science: Kew’s Kitchen Garden

In Edible Science: Kew’s Kitchen Garden we grow different varieties of common fruit and veg, from carrots and apples to pumpkins and chili peppers.

Our fruit and veg collection