rhs garden wisley

PROS: Even in the winter, you can see the amount of effort and hard work that goes into maintaining and making the gardens so beautiful. I love that they have the names of all the trees and you can see the little signs telling you what is coming soon. The ducks, ponds, trails and the fish were lovely too. The butterfly house was a HUGE bonus, they were beautiful and you could buy a little book for £1 so you could learn the names and identify them too. There were load of butterflies too and bits of fruit out to attract them to you could get a closer look. As I knew that I'd be going back, the membership was an amazing bargain! It's so sweet to have a nice place for older people to have a walk around and they're so adorably cute too. There was a buggy park by the entrance to the Butterfly house which was amazing because there is nothing more annoying than being "accidentally" clipped in the ankles.CONS:The only let downs were the cafe which was extortionate considering that the hot chocolate was so watery and the victoria sponge cake (~£4) was so dry that the huge amount of icing was literally holding it together. The flapjack on the other hand was lovely and reasonably priced. I would have normally said something, but the cafe was so busy and full. Another thing was the hoards of mothers who clearly just wanted a free day out and who use their buggies and broods as weapons to push passed or take up the whole path.I will definitely be going back to the gardens and any exhibition, but not to the cafe.

I took my 97 year old Mum for a visit. We had a wonderful walk around the gardens admiring the flowers, shrubs, and much more. The walking was easy for my Mum using her walker. It was a beautiful day; as the sun shone on us, it also embellished the beauty of the garden.

This Visit was a while ago, my daughter with two young sons visiting from the UAE, We're thrilled with everything that Wisley has to offer, brilliant flower beds, fascinating vegetable displays, gorgeous arberethum, first class restaurant, plus a super shop on leaving. Can only highly recommend.

We visit WIsley reasonably regularly and today went for coffe and a stroll around the gardens. In the food hall I noticed that all the sandwiches could be made with gluten free bread and there was a choice of (freshly made) cakes. If you are coeliac you will understand how special this is! I asked about afternoon tea in the restaurant as I am planning a treat but normally this would be a bit of a let down due to the dietary restrictions. An extremely helpful young lady called Hazel did not know but went off to find out the answers to all my questions, returning twice to make sure I had all the requested information. Many thanks to her, a pleasant change to find someone willing to go out of their way to be helpful! I will return, and no doubt be booking that special afternoon tea in the near future.

lovely day in lovely surroundings. Although seemed busy the site is so large it did not seem crowded. Gorgeous displays of crocuses, snowdrops and hellebores. If you want lunch in restaurant book a table when you arrive. Alternatively food in cafeteria was very good. Plenty of parking.

We visited on a Friday and was very surprised to find how busy the garden was, but it is so well laid out, you did not come across crowds. Only in the restaurants, cafe and shop did it feel busy.The butterflies in the greenhouse worth a visit and even with a queue, did not take long to get through.So much to view at different times of the year and looking forward to returning in the summer.

I felt we went too early in the year as most of the flowers were not out yet which made for a fairly 'colourless' visit unfortunately. The map was not very helpful as it is too small and the overall signage is poor (took us ages to find the cottage/country garden). Rather too many screaming kids but head for the arboretum area and fruit orchards if you want some peace and quiet. Welcome at the ticket desk was a bit frosty and we were hustled through the shop as it was past the 5pm closing time. Will be going again, but on a weekday (or any childfree day, and in the Summer.)

We went specifically to see the butterflies in the glasshouses but enjoyed some of the gardens too and had the first picnic of the year!In previous years I have been on a week day to see the butterflies. The first time my Dad took me to cheer me up as I recovered from 'flu. It was much busier on a Sunday, which should not have surprised us. There was an organised queuing system and as we joined it we were told it would be an hour and twenty minutes form there. We decided to stay in the queue. Forty minutes later we were into the warmth of the butterflies' home. We had also been warned that there would be fewer butterflies as it was the last day but there were plenty fluttering about and posing helpfully for photographs. We spent some time admiring the butterflies then headed back into the gardens. WE wondered up to the fruit gardens, all asleep currently but found a glorious patch of crocuses to cheer up an overcast afternoon. The best part for a cloudy spring afternoon however was the woodland area on Battleston hill with lots of textures and early flowers with beautiful scents to enjoy. One of my favourite aspects of Wisley is that children's scooters are not allowed and due to ponds, children have to supervised. What a miserable spoilsport I am!

Had a good time walking the outside portion of rhs wisley, on arrival it seemed incredibly busy possibly due to the rush to see the butterflies in the glasshouse. But managed to have a peaceful walk amongst the pines and heather. We did have a shufty at the queue for the butterflies but we decided we should have booked (it was foolish not to and I had just forgotten). The wait was about an hour long and asked if we could just look at the orchids instead. It was a long way for us to drive, we will be back in the summer to see the gardens but on a weekday so it is screaming child free. And we will definitely book tickets to see the butterflies if they return next year.

The gardens of the RHS Wisley are enormous. There are lots of specialist gardens - heather garden, fruit garden, herb garden, arboretum etc etc. There is a bird hide overlooking a pond and the plants are very well signed so you know what they are and the use to which they can be put.The entry fee for adults is £13 - about normal for this sort of attraction I guess. My only criticism is the queues. It was the first sunny day of 2015. Not all the cash desks were manned and there was a ten to fifteen minute queue to pay. We saw one or two people walk away.Once inside the place is far from crowded because it is so big. There was, however, then a one hour queue to see the butterflies. The car parks could do with better signage too. There are three big parks but no system of numbering or lettering the rows and aisles within the parks. People must often not easily find their cars. Also the entrance is not signed from the car parks so one heads for the nearest building only to discover it is the shop. That might be intentional of course.

Great time at a very busy garden today . My granddaughter loved the butterflies and they let me in the gardens with no problems with my Hearing Dog . They are supposed too but not every organisation is so accommodating . Thanks for a lovely day

Had a lovely day at Wisley today. As RHS members we visit quite often in the summer, but this time came mainly to see the butterflies in the glasshouse as we knew this was finishing soon. The gardens were very busy so well done RHS for putting on an attraction to bring people in at this time of the year! There was a wait of nearly an hour to see the butterflies but it was well worth it and there were many different species and colours. It was also great that you were not rushed through, and once inside you could spend as long as you wanted. Afterwards we had a walk round the gardens and were surprised to see so many early spring flowers including crocuses, iris, snowdrops, camellias and a few daffodils just starting. We also had lunch in the main cafe which not surprisingly was packed out. This made it a bit of a mission to get served as there was a long queue for hot food, plus a queue for drinks and then another queue to pay. There were plenty of tables though and we were able to sit outside in the sunshine which was nice...and the parsnip and apple soup was delicious!

I wandered around Wisley's beautiful grounds in the rain today. I followed the winter trail, a great variety of plants, trees, flowers, etc, very diverse colours. A peaceful and magical walk. The glass house is a must-see, beautifully designed and very well kept, offering something for everyone. If you are around in the next couple of weeks do not miss the butterflies, great experience and great pics...! The coffee shop can get busy at times but does offer good coffee and cakes. Do not exit the gardens without visiting its fantastic gift shop, full of good quality stuff.

I went to Wisley with my parents and boyfriend as we had heard good things as my mum is a member of RHS. Although it was February plenty of the boarders were springing to life with signs of spring.The butterfly display was nice but very busy inside to see not a lot of butterflies. The sausage sandwiches from the cafe were really tasty and meaty. Definately a plus point.The grounds are huge and so much variety that we didn't get round it all. We will definitely be going back to visit.

This is a lovely place for a Sunday visit, walking round the gardens having a cream tea, this visit was just so relaxing and laid back...not rushing and it has a lovely gift shop as well as great restaurant's.....