The huge cathedral-like glass structure covers an area equal in size to 10 tennis courts and rises to 12m (40ft) in height. It has three climatic zones, recreating tropical, moist temperate and dry temperate habitats.
The Glasshouse showcases our world class plant collection providing an enhanced horticultural experience for everyone who visits. The RHS’s extensive tender plant collection, comprising more than 5,000 taxa, is housed here, including difficult to grow, rare and endangered species, hundreds of orchid species and old cultivars of Solenostemon (Coleus) among others.
Educational activities are central to the Glasshouse. Both the Learning Space and the Growing Lab enable visitors to learn more, get hands-on experience and see how professional glasshouse gardeners work.
Entering the Glasshouse is like walking into a jungle - tree ferns, tall palms, lush-leaved creepers and dazzling flower displays give an air of expectation and drama. There are three interlinked zones: dry temperate and moist temperate (adjacent spaces within the main area of the glasshouse), and a tropical zone overlooking the lake at the front.