Nestled in the heart of London, the Chelsea Physic Garden is a historic botanical haven established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.

For over 350 years this has been London’s garden, providing a place for people to connect with nature and to support research into medicinal and edible plants.

Spanning three and a half acres along the River Thames, it stands as the city’s oldest botanic Garden and the second oldest in Britain. Originally founded to cultivate medicinal plants for apothecary apprentices, the garden now boasts over 5,000 species including edible, medicinal and useful plants.

It’s unique microclimate, fostered by high brick walls, allows for the growth of rarespecimens like Britain’s largest fruiting olive tree and the world’s northernmostoutdoor grapefruit tree.

Highlights of this garden include Europe’s oldest rock garden dedicated to alpine plants and historic glasshouses sheltering diverse fl ora. There were also a variety of greenhouses, including a ‘sunken’ greenhouse, which is partially underground to utilise the earth’s thermal mass to regulate temperature.

While in London for the Chelsea Flower Show, we spared some time to wonder through and noted the vast size of the garden with many different areas for people to stop and sit among the collection of plants.

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