Throughout its history, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has made important contributions to increasing the understanding of the plant kingdom with many benefits for mankind. Today it is still first and foremost a scientific institution. With its collections of living and preserved plants, of plant products and of botanical information, it forms an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the plant kingdom. The living plant collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the world, containing representatives of more than one in eight of all flowering plant species. Plants are included in the collection primarily for their scientific or educational value and many of them are actively used in our research programmes. Tender woody species are mainly grown in the Temperate and Palm Houses whilst tender herbaceous plants are displayed in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The Alpine House contains plants from mountains and high latitudes. Other herbaceous plants, hardy in the British climate, are grown in the rock, grass and woodland gardens. Most of the hardy trees and shrubs in the collection are arranged according to the Bentham and Hooker scientific classification, although mixed decorative groupings of trees can be seen at the northern end of the Arboretum. Displays of ornamental herbaceous plants are featured in front of the Palm House, along the Broad Walk and in the Queen's and Duke's Gardens. ... [Information of the supplier]
