Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden

Explore the trees and shrubs of East and Central Asia as you head deeper into Wakehurst.

A birch tree growing in grass next to a path flanked by larger trees

The Asian Heath Garden is full of fascinating trees and shrubs from China, Japan and Korea.

Our evolving collection includes some lovely birches (Betula), hazels (Corylus) and rhododendrons. 

Kew Science has an active conservation programme in central Asian Kyrgyzstan, a country with amazing wild flowers. We’re using beds in the Asian Heath Garden to explore how we turn Kyrgyzstan’s meadow plant communities into garden design.

Find the Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden at marker 18 on our Map of Wakehurst

Bright red leaves in the Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden
Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden at Wakehurst © RBG Kew
A group of plant beds under a blue sky
Kyrgyzstan Trial Beds in the Tony Schilling Asian Heath Garden, Visual Air © RBG Kew
A specimen of Sorbus Coloneura
Sorbus Coloneura, Wakehurst, RBG Kew

A little bit of history 

Tony Schilling, a former Wakehurst curator, was renowned for his Himalayan plant hunting. The Asian Heath Garden was one of Wakehurst’s first wild landscapes and we’re now planning its next chapter. Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are full of wonderful garden plants: irises, fox-tail Lilies, wild apples, pears and figs. Look out for new arrivals and trial beds as plants arrive from these countries. 

Designed landscapes  

This is one of our designed landscapes, where Wakehurst begins to get dramatic and wild. In these areas, we use wild collected plants arranged by country. The system is called phytogeographic planting  – offering a chance to travel the world in the heart of Sussex.   

Discover more of Wakehurst

Another view of the Southern Hemisphere Garden at Wakehurst

Wakehurst

Southern Hemisphere Garden

Explore rare and wonderful plants from the Southern Hemisphere in this unique landscape made up of wild-collected plants.

Southern Hemisphere Garden
Mansion Gardens

Wakehurst

The Mansion Gardens

Over 200 years, the residents of Wakehurst’s Mansion acquired plants from all over the world, surrounding the estate with beautiful intimate gardens across the seasons.

The Mansion Gardens
Members of the public enjoying a guided walking tour around Wakehurst

Wakehurst

Daily guided walking tour of Wakehurst

See plants of seasonal interest and discover the fascinating history of Wakehurst on this guided tour.

Daily guided walking tour

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