RHS Garden Wisley is one of the world’s great gardens, packed with horticultural inspiration.RHS Garden Wisley is one of the world’s great gardens, packed with horticultural inspiration.

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The Exotic Garden

The Exotic Garden showcases plants that have a tropical look and feel, but will flourish outdoors in a typical UK summer climate

Looking its best in...

Mid to late summer Dahlia, Hedychium, Canna, bananas, Trachycarpus

Wisley Exotic Garden

The grand opening of the Exotic Garden at RHS Garden Wisley

2:17

Lush foliage, bold colours

The Exotic Garden is home to large leaves, vibrant flowers and exciting plants that you wouldn’t perhaps expect to see growing outdoors. Palms jostle alongside hardy bananas while cannas, gingers and dahlias add splashes of vibrant colour.

Exciting new planting schemes

Created and opened in 2017, the Exotic Garden was designed by the Wisley Garden Team. The main path network gives way to smaller, more intimate paths where you can fully appreciate the immersive planting.

Until the creation of this garden, Wisley only ever showcased these plants in beds and borders. The Exotic Garden allows us to really showcase the huge range of plants that can be grown outdoors in the UK to create the look of a tropical garden.

Treasures of the Exotic Garden

Eucalyptus ‘Snow Cream’

A variegated unusual Eucalyptus.

While Eucalyptus are well known in gardens, variegated forms are quite unusual, so we await the results of this new addition with great interest.

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Mont Blanc’

A special magnolia cultivar displaying huge white flowers which can reach up to 40cm in diameter.

Attractive shiny green foliage with bronze/copper colouring underneath the leaves.

Zantedeschia ‘White Giant’

An impressive giant white Zantedeschia which can grow up to 2m tall.

The white flowers are complemented by large leaves with attractive white spots.

Lophosoria quadripinnata

An attractive deciduous fern with feathery fronds. Mature plants have a graceful architectural form.

Magnolia macrophylla subsp. ashei x virginiana

This Magnolia hybrid is a cross between two very showy species, known for their exotic looking foliage.

The outcome is quite rare in cultivation, so watch this space - Wisley has never had this in its collection before!

The Exotic Garden continues Wisley's long tradition of experimentation and interesting plantsmanship.

In this gallery, Team Leader Gemma Neech and Curator Matthew Pottage select 9 particularly special plants to seek out and enjoy during your visit.

Rhapidophyllum hystrix

An impressive hardy palm with an unusual dense habit.

It has a short base and so forms a mound of attractive foliage. Small white fragrant flowers are followed by small inedible fruits.

Eriobotrya deflexa

The bronze loquat has attractive shiny evergreen dark green foliage with its young leaves emerging bronze-red. (Note: image not taken at RHS Garden Wisley).

Trachycarpus ‘Nova’

This is the fastest growing Trachycarpus.

It is closely related to T. fortunei and so can look very similar, except that T. 'Nova' has more finger-like foliage.

Trachycarpus fortunei

Look out for fine examples of this palm with stripped and shaped stems.

The leaves can reach up to 1m in width. It produces arching sprays of small yellow flowers.

More about this plant