Garden Design

The Great Broad Walk Border at RBG Kew

Sharon Willoughby, Head of Interpretation at RBG Kew

October 14, 2016

I was recently lucky enough to sit with Richard Barley the Director of Horticulture, Learning and Operations at Royal Botanic Garden Kew, in amongst the plantings of the new Great Broad Walk Border at the end of its first summer. We talked about the history of this part of Kew, the development and design of the new borders, the plants that stop people in their tracks, seasonal succession planting and also the new pedestrian path surfaces now being used at Kew.

Listen to the podcast of my interview with Richard while you enjoy the photos of the Great Broad Walk Border…

Richard Barley, Director of Horticulture at RBG Kew

Richard Barley, Director of Horticulture, Learning and Operations at Royal Botanic Garden Kew

Great Broad Walk Border, Royal Botanic Garden Kew UK

The Great Broad Walk Border is 320 metres in length running along both sides of the Broad Walk between the Palm House Pond and Orangery at Kew. It may be the largest herbaceous border in the UK containing as it does some 30,000 plants.

Great Broad Walk Border, Royal Botanic Garden Kew UK

The area of the garden before the Great Broad Walk Border, Royal Botanic Garden Kew UK

Design of the Great Broad Walk Border, Royal Botanic Garden Kew UK

Kew’s Manager of Garden Design, Richard Wilford, designed the border with the objective of achieving a diversity of colours and textures through the growing season. Bulbs in spring give way to vibrant colours in the summer and architectural seed heads and grass tassels in the autumn.

Interpretive signage Great Broad Walk Border, Royal Botanic Garden Kew UK

The border has proven to be a great hit at Kew with many visitors noting plants to try in their own home gardens as they promenade under the late autumn sunshine.