Saturday, June 27, 2015

The sun came out today...

guess where I headed?   It was really hot, although there was a cooling breeze and not as humid as it's been the last couple of days, blissful!  There was quite a crowd waiting for the gate to open at 10. 

 Walking from the main gate, there are a row of huge horse chestnut trees, the flowers are going over now but are beautiful!
 this allium is finished too, but still an attractive bloom
 roses
 into the Princess of Wales glasshouse, the giant waterlilies
stunning patterns


 back outside
 lilies
 unopened lilies, these will make a spectacular display soon!
love in a mist
 the rose pergola, in varying stages of openness!


 Veronica, in one of the order beds along side the rose pergola

 Verbascum



 more roses

the water was on at "my" fountain today, first time for a while.
Got carried away with the pictures, the sun on the spray, here are some of them!



 the summer bedding in front of the Palm House is continued in pots around the Lake

 into the Waterlily house, this one caught my eye especially today.
there was an art group in there, drawing with pastels, wish I'd taken some photos of them, they were very good!
 the long lens at full stretch, back towards the fountain, before I headed to the Rose Garden behind the Palm House...
 where lots of the blooms are going over, but some later varieties still looking fabulous (and smelling so too)



 peaking through the trees to the work on the Temperate House
 back to the Lake, and the giant Gunnera Mannicata
 hmmm that fountain again!
sat in the shade of these big trees and listened to the water for a while
 by the Orangery (failing in my bid for an ice cream, there were none available today!)  love the mix of colours here
and some happy daisies!
 this was so pretty!
 the formal beds, lavender and box outside the Georgian splendour of Kew Palace
 and at the bag, more formal gardens, the yellow is cotton lavender, and is so pretty
 love the mix of yellow and purple
 hardy geranium, one of my favourite flowers
and an allium, in the shade of a tree, still in full colour.


that's it for today, next week I'm visiting the Hampton Court Flower Show so that will be another flower-filled post!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Blue skies, warm sun and a stiff breeze!

It was much cooler thanks to the wind than it appeared, but I spent a lovely few hours again at Kew today..
here are some of the photos from today's visit... sit back and enjoy.

allium
 geranium
 waterlily, everything in the waterlily house was looking gorgeous today

 petunias growing all round the edge of the waterlily pond


escaped the humid warmth of the waterlily house to the rose garden - wish you could have smelt them!

the Palm House looking good today, fluffy white clouds scurrying by in the stiff breeze
 inside, taken up to the sky outside
 a large family of baby geese sunning themselves
 flowers (or are they fruit?) on a pine tree
 cistus - rock rose - loads of varieties, all beautiful
 a favourite this one,
this had leaves looking very like sage, but couldn't find a label.  was growing with the cistus

 sage or not, it was beautiful!
*edit - thanks to Sue and Tracy on FB - this is Phlomis
 Chinese Fringe tree - never seen this before, stunning!

 just look at it!  no wonder it's called the fringe tree!
 acer, leaves brightly lit in the sun

 loads of California Poppies all over the place, did lots of lying down low to get these shots against the sky

 outside the Princess of Wales glasshouse
 these were beautiful little white flowers, the bush was covered!

 Peonies, now... they've come on a load since last visit.

 another favourite

 arum
 more poppies, more lying on the ground!
 .
 yellow horned poppy
 the wind kept blowing!
 a red poppy, but with the sun backlighting it, looks so transaprent!
love poppies!
 not sure what these were, covered in insects too!
 cotton tail
 blue geranium
 gorgeous peony with a hint of pink edging the petals
 close up of an allium head
 more crouching down!
 sign at the entrance to a garden
 sophora - these were beautiful, delicate blue and white flowers.  the tree was covered in them.

a lady asked if I was a professional photographer!
(she was Italian I think)

sweet chestnut
 more roses, I'd walked in a huge circle

so many today,


where shall we go next time?!