Houseplant Takeover – Plants Before Time

Step inside the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley to discover fascinating plants such as ferns and cycads, alongside fossils, footprints and more

3 February – 10 March 2024
Monday – Friday (last entry 3.15pm)
10am – 3.45pm
Saturday – Sunday (last entry 3.15pm)
9.30am – 3.45pm

Thank you for joining us at RHS Garden Wisley for the Houseplant Takeover 2024, we hope you enjoyed the chance to discover familiar houseplants mixed with other weird and wonderful plants, among fossils and footprints, and were transported back to long, long ago in our Plants Before Time exhibition.

Included with garden admission.

RHS members and children under 5 go free.

Step back in time

This Spring the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley is having a mighty makeover. Be transported back to long, long ago for the new Houseplant Takeover – Plants Before Time exhibition. Step inside to discover fascinating plants such as ferns and cycads, alongside fossils, footprints and more. The exhibition aims to inspire visitors to think about innovative ways of integrating greenery indoors.

Download How to Make a Plant Fossil, activity sheet (1.6MB pdf)

Watch out for dinosaurs roaming the Glasshouse and beware of the plant-astic volcano, made from colourful bromeliads and tillandsia. A giant rib cage welcomes you to this amazing new display, filled with exotic and tropical plants, jungle sounds, and created by our talented team at RHS Garden Wisley, alongside KB Theming.

Follow the prehistoric trail

Pick up a trail booklet and travel through time to find out fun facts about these incredible plants; listen carefully; and keep a look out for weird and wonderful fossils and creatures that roamed the earth millions of years ago.

Download Time Travel Passport (4.2 MB pdf)

“Our aim is to convey the sheer historic magnitude of these ancient plant species. They’ve survived for such a long time and will probably outlive us humans too.”

Garden Manager, Christopher J Young

Welcome to the jungle

The route will lead through temperate, tropical and arid zones, and feature six ‘hero’ plants, each with interesting ancestry: Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island pine); Sphaeropteris cooperi (lacy tree fern); Platycerium bifurcatum (common staghorn fern); Protea cynaroides (king protea); Encephalartos villosus (a South African cycad); and Rhopalostylis sapida (nikau palm).

Sensory Information

Read sensory information about your visit to RHS Wisley Houseplant Takeover 

Download Sensory Information (2.6 MB pdf)

Shuttle bus service from Woking Train Station

We are pleased to offer our 14-seater (plus 1 wheelchair user space) shuttle bus service operating between Woking Train Station and RHS Garden Wisley. The shuttle bus service operates 7 days a week. Tickets are available to purchase via contactless card payment on-board the bus, which are available hourly 9am–4pm from Woking to Wisley, and 9.30am–4.30pm from Wisley to Woking. Bus travellers will also receive our 30% car-free travel discount on garden entrance.

For more information about the shuttle bus service, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

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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.