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Kew Gardens has received £2 million from the Government amid fears parts of the site are decaying.
The bailout, which follows an 8.5 per cent fall in visitors last year, is to be spent securing the future of the Millennium Seed Bank, a unique collection of seeds from around the world.
Kew director Steve Hopper said the one-off payment to the Royal Botanical Gardens was in addition to the annual Government grant that hit £17.6 million in 2008-09.
“We have major heritage structures in a state of decay and we have no guarantee the Seed Bank will be funded beyond 2010,” he said. “Our underlying financial position is challenging.”
Approximately 50 per cent of operating costs are met by Kew through revenue from ticket sales and refreshments.
But a Kew spokesman said: “The economic downturn and poor summer in 2008 made targets challenging to achieve.”
