Kew's Tropical Extravangaza - Feb 18th 2012

Early February each year for a month, Kew puts on a TropicalExtravangaza display - orchids and bromelliads and other lush plants - in the Prince of Wales glasshouse, and I was determined to get along again this time.  It's the first visit I've managed to Kew this year, what with one thing and another.  Yesterday was ok weather-wise (till I got home!) - we even saw some sunshine...

This is the first hanging display as you walk in 

round to the waterlily pond - love how they make them look as if they are floating on the water.

they'd just been watering them!!

There were also some commission sculptures of various tropical funghi - these are funghi, though they look a bit suggestive....!

 And these are demonstrating how the seeds float through the air for pollination.  These were gorgeous!

And they'd died some of the orchids blue!  There were warnings about careful watering, in the gift shop (and that when they re-flower they will only be white!)

After I'd feasted my eyes on these beauties for a while, it was outside (crikey, what a shock the difference in temperature was... it was soooo windy yesterday and cold - whilst inside it was of course steamy hot and misty)

 Anyhow, there were signs of spring - snowdrops on the hill

 I love how the bare tree branches frame my photos and the trees are so architectural at this time of year.

 See, I told you the sun came out!

Crocus and others (couldn't get close enough to read all the names)

I love to get down low - I was tempted to lie on the path but it wasn't completely dry so I just knelt and crouched as low as I could get.

The crocus carpet is looking fabulous already.

And some more of the structural trees taken into the sun hiding behind a cloud - time to go home before the rain! (I made it!)
You can see the orchids till the 4th March!