Beyond the Gardens: Collecting and Curating at Kew

Explore an exciting exhibition offering a unique insight into our often unseen collections.

To visit Kew Gardens is to walk amongst one of the largest and most diverse collections of living plants in the world. But did you know that behind the scenes, Kew also cares for over 8.5 million objects and specimens, including preserved plant and fungal specimens, seeds, DNA samples, books and illustrations?

Alongside the Living Collections, two major collections sit at the heart of Kew's mission: the Science Collections, and the Library, Art and Archives Collections. They represent a unique global resource for research, conservation and education, with the potential to inspire new discoveries and solutions to some of the most critical challenges facing humanity.

This exhibition offers a glimpse into the careful curation of these diverse specimens and objects. It explores Kew's past and present practices, and highlights some of the important projects that utilise the collections today.

Discover more about Kew's collections