Conifer Lawn and Wisteria Walk

The Conifer Lawn is home to some of the oldest trees in the garden and is a wonderful, open space to enjoy views to the beautiful laboratory building

Looking its best in...

  • Early spring Carpets of crocuses
  • Late spring Elegant plumes of wisteria
  • Winter Year-round structure and colour from conifers

Originally a collection of cypress trees, the Conifer Lawn was planted in the early 1900s and was home to around 60 large trees.

The hurricane of 1987 and more high winds in 1990 reduced the collection to the small display today, the three largest conifers being the survivors.

Plants with a past

The two large golden 'Lutea' (meaning yellow) conifers were considered a special find some 90 years ago, and were once the finest in yellow conifers. While terribly out of fashion today, they still remain in fine health, and add personality to this part of the garden.

Look closely at the old golden conifer furthest from the Laboratory and you will notice a gap in the upper part of its crown, where it was hit by lightning in the late 1990s.

The gardeners arrived the next day to find the lawn littered with branches, while one of the scientists who was working late saw the whole event from his window! 

Carpets of colour

Newer plantings have been added in recent years, however the lawn is kept as a fairly open space to allow views to the Laboratory, and good light levels for the swathes of crocus to perform each spring. 

These were planted with the help of visitors in autumn 2014, and are a sight to behold in March. 

Wisteria Walk

Opened in May 2018, the 75m (245ft) Wisteria Walk links the Conifer Lawn with the Mixed Borders. As it matures, this 3m (10ft) wide walk will become a tunnel of glorious purple racemes each May, complementing Wisley’s impressive collection of wisteria around the garden.

The walk features two cultivars of Wisteria floribunda: dark purple ‘Royal Purple’ and light mauve ‘Kimono’, both chosen for their beautiful long racemes. More than 20 unique pieces of topiary flank the walk, providing year-round interest.

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