Featuring giant redwood / giant sequoia. Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Wisley boasts a really fine collection of Redwood trees, mostly large and over a hundred years old, but with a couple of young examples. Whether you have an interest in these trees or not, Wisley is definitely worth a visit for the stunning displays of plants and flowers in a lovely countryside setting. Still, this is nothing less than one would expect since this is one of the main sites of the Royal Horticultural Society. There is also a huge multi-level glasshouse, opened in 2007, featuring temperate through to tropical zones crammed with stunning displays. * * * Update - AUGUST 2017 * * * Alan Titchmarsh vows to save Queen's tree in M25 row "One option would take out a bank of trees including giant redwoods."
Visit information
- Access
- Open to public
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/wisley.htm
Redwood species here
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in parts of their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Present. Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume
Dawn redwood is a deciduous redwood from China, known from fossils before living trees were documented in the 1940s. It reached British collections soon afterwards and is now found in parks, botanic gardens, and arboreta, where its soft summer foliage and rusty autumn colour make it distinct from evergreen giant sequoias and coast redwoods.
Redwood World WGS84 reference: N51.31611 W0.47178.
1 recorded by Redwood World.
Native to the fog belt of coastal California and Oregon, coast redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth. In Britain they thrive where rainfall, humidity, and sheltered woodland conditions echo their native range, forming narrow, soaring avenues and groves with reddish fibrous bark and flat fern-like foliage.
Redwood World WGS84 reference: N51.31669 W0.47181.
3 recorded by Redwood World.
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Wisley - Wisley Garden
About this place
About Wisley - Wisley Garden
Wisley - Wisley Garden is located in Wisley, Surrey, England.
Species Present
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
The tallest trees on Earth, coast redwoods can exceed 100 metres in their native California. Less common in Britain than giant sequoias, they prefer sheltered, moist locations and can still reach impressive heights in the UK. The tallest known coast redwood in Britain is over 50 metres.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
A deciduous conifer thought to be extinct until rediscovered in a remote Chinese province in 1941. Seeds were distributed to botanical gardens worldwide in the late 1940s. Unlike its evergreen relatives, the dawn redwood loses its needles in winter, turning a striking copper-bronze in autumn.
Access
This location appears to be publicly accessible. Please check locally for current opening times and any admission charges.
Data sourced from Redwood World (redwoodworld.co.uk) and enriched by Redwood Finder.