Environment & Climate
Kew Gardens to fell oversized rare trees to enable Palm House restoration
Horticulturalists are relocating and propagating plants ahead of a planned 2027 renovation of the Victorian glasshouse.
The short version
- Kew Gardens will fell large palm trees and oversized specimens that cannot be safely moved out of its historic Palm House ahead of a major renovation.
- Botanists are relocating around 1,000 plants to a tropical nursery and propagating rare species via seeds and cuttings to preserve genetic lines.
- The restoration project aims to repair damaged glass and rusted ironwork to preserve the greenhouse for an estimated 50 years.
- Work is scheduled to begin in 2027, dependent on the success of a fundraising campaign launching in October.
Key facts
- The Palm House at Kew Gardens contains rusted ironwork and 16,000 warped or damaged glass panes, making climate control difficult.[The Guardian]
- Oversized specimens like a male Ravenea Moorei tree native to the Comoros will be felled because they cannot be relocated.[The Guardian]
- Kew researchers located a wild population of Ravenea Moorei in the Comoros, enabling them to propagate 10 young plants for the collection.[The Guardian]
- Art movement specialists are assisting in transferring fragile plants, including an Eastern Cape giant cycad cultivated at Kew since 1775.[The Guardian]
- The renovation project is slated to begin in 2027, backed by a fundraising campaign set for October, and is expected to secure the building for roughly 50 years.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The 2027 project start date remains contingent on securing adequate funding during the upcoming fundraising effort.[The Guardian]