View the map

Back

The Pinetum

A collection of century-old trees, many coniferous, the Pinetum is the place to enjoy magnificent mature trees

Looking its best in...

  • Autumn Among the evergreen conifers, acers and deciduous conifers give great autumn colour
  • Winter Appreciate the structure and form of the conifers and explore our diverse holly collection

A veteran collection

The Pinetum is the oldest tree collection at Wisley, made up mostly of conifers. It is glorious year round, but especially in winter and in autumn, when many of the accompanying deciduous plants show their autumnal hues which contrast beautifully with the evergreen conifer backdrop.

Meet the giants of the plant world

The Pinetum is a cathedral-like collection of towering trees. Some of the oldest Pinus nigra (black pines) were planted by the original site owner, George Fergusson Wilson.

The RHS continued in this vein, and the magnificent redwood trees at the entrance were early RHS plantings, probably made around 1904.

Stand beneath them and admire their grandeur, then walk to the top of Battleston Hill and you will be able to see them standing tall, above all the other trees. 

The tallest tree here is the Sequoia sempervirens (coastal redwood). Also in the Pinetum, a magnificent variegated Thuja plicata ‘Zebrina’ (western red cedar) makes a huge pyramid of zebra like, striped foliage. 

Don't miss...

Do not miss the Pinus x holfordiana (hybrid white pine) close to the river, whose enormous cones are usually visible in the upper parts of the tree throughout the year.

In the summer months, take a stroll down to the River Wey embankment to watch for kingfishers in this peaceful retreat. 

 

Explore the new Riverside Garden

The Riverside Garden, completed in 2017, is rich in wildlife and the ideal place to enjoy a picnic.

We have removed self-sown trees to open up a view to the River Wey, and cleared scrub and weeds to encourage native bluebells to re-establish on the woodland banks.

We have also planted trees in keeping with the beautiful setting, including weeping willows, Taxodium (cypress), Alnus glutinosa (common alder) and Betula nigra (river birch).

This is an ideal place to see some of the rich wildlife Wisley and the River Wey have to offer, including kingfishers, herons and swans as well as dragonflies and damselflies.  

Why not pause on one of the oak swing seats, kindly donated by Dorset company Sitting Spiritually, and while away a summer afternoon. 

Plants in this section

You may also be interested in...

Not all conifers are giants! See 10 of the best small conifers

Not all conifers are giants! See 10 of the best small conifers »

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.