Welcome to a wonderful piece of magic - the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes. I hope it rubs off on you, that you go away fired with enthusiasm. Gardens are the sharp end of conservation, they’re the sharp end of places like this which have brought the countryside into the town and brought the birds to the people.
Alan Titchmarsh
The sustainable gardens at London Wetland Centre are not only beautiful, they’re also inspiring. Stroll among them to enjoy the bright swathes of colour that the plants and shrubs create as they bloom from spring into autumn. We hope you’ll go away eager to create or improve your own patch of foliage, whether in a single flower pot on your window sill or by introducing fresh ideas into your own garden…
The RBC Rain Garden provides an arresting vista with a wildflower meadow, a cascade of ‘rain gardens’, green roof planting, a stream with lush, bold vegetation along its edges and a rocky ‘dry’ stream.
Rain water management is the key focus of the garden, a vital message at a time when water conservation will become more and more important as the climate changes. And as befits a garden at a wildlife reserve it also features creature towers to provide habitats for animals to live in.
The wildlife garden is more natural with log piles, trees and stretches of tall reeds and grasses running down to the edge of the stream, creating a magnificent habitat for amphibians, insects and small mammals.
The slate garden is a riot of colour, designed to provide bold swatches of brightly hued flowers which offer an eye-catching display from spring through to autumn. Like all of our gardens it provides both food and shelter for insects such as bees and butterflies.
And don’t miss the Cricklade meadow in the spring and summer with its stunning display of orchids and snake’s head fritillaries and see if you can spot the newts that make our Bog Garden their home throughout the summer.
It’s also the ideal place to spot dragonflies and damselflies flitting across the pond or to see lizards sunning themselves on a log.
