Saturday, September 24, 2016

Late September sunshine at Kew

well, where else.... this is the last Saturday of the early members opening (finishes at the end of September) so I took myself off at the crack of dawn once again... literally as the sun rose..
 6.30 a.m
 once at Kew, the Palm House Parterre is still in full flower - looking fabulous in the early morning sun
 was talking to a lady about how fabulous these cannas look, especially against the Palm House behind them

 can't resist a shadow picture!  I remembered to put the camera bag down and out of shot today so I don't look huge! well, you know what I mean.
 gorgeous reflections in the lake
love the silvery leaves
 amazing how two photos of the same scene can look so different - focus on the Palm House.....
 or focus on the flowers in the foreground!
I love photography!!
 heading back down the Broad Walk now, it's been fantastic seeing it develop through the seasons this year since it was planted up...and still so much colour!














Even when the flowers are fading, they look good







I love this part of the border, the michaelmas daisies with the heleniums behind (I was watching a recording of Gardeners World whilst writing this, luckily they were featuring seasonal flowers!)


stunning!


 the Hive, in the early morning light - it was still only 8.30
 these have been beautiful all summer - even now, as they fade.
I must go back through my files and compare them week by week!


 love the yellow behind these
 and the Orangery restaurant in the background

walking round the back of the Broad Walk to the Hive
 the meadow is fading now,
 but not fully

and I love the bronzy brown colours as it does fade

 the clover is still flowering
 and the light through the Hive structure was wonderful today
 several people already there..
 love the contrast of the white against the rusty posts









underneath the Hive structure,
sun was shining through everything


 and the grass garden was spectacular!


 I love autumn!
 teasels in the Duke's Garden..
 these must have been 8 or 10 feet tall





this shrub was huge, growing at the entrance to the Duke's Garden I've forgotten what it is (and didn't take a picture of it's plant label!) - I've never noticed it in flower before
 back to the grasses
 and the Alpine house, in it's space age building
 rose pergola bare, now but the shadows attracted me

 more die back looking fantastic
 growth under the giant Gunnera
 reflection of the Palm House in the water

 the light was really showing off the green of the trees and grass
pine cones

 autumn colour abounding

 misty morning sun on the cobwebs

 vines bearing fruit and gorgeous red leaves
 light shining through leaves again


 couldn't work out if this was someone famous, definitely some photo shoot going on...
the Pagoda
 mossy bark
















I had to take this one, completely oblivious to me snapping away

 berries
 came across a couple of peacocks sunning themselves

 lying down on the now-dry grass to get some low level shots of the colchicums (they're not crocus, just look like them, but much bigger)


 decided I didn't have the energy to climb up to the top of the treetop walkway today!


the sky was blue, the sun was warm....

but the leaves are turning, and there was some lovely scrunching underfoot to be done!
Canada geese enjoying the sun too
 the Palm House, from the rose garden (still several in flower)

 beds outside the Waterlily house, the dahlias still so colourful, love the red/purple mix

 I know I shouldn't have taken this one without clearing the lens of the condensation from the humidity, but I love the atmosphere it gives!


 back outside, the Parterre with "my" fountain in the background..
 willow tree (I think)
 you all know how much I love this fountain when the sun is shining..



 I always get a bit carried away

 lotus flower inside the Princess of Wales house now
 seed pods
 outside, bullrushes in the sun
and the Hive, from a different angle
 more daisies
 and the secluded garden, spray bouncing off the tile towers in the sun
 walking towards the exit now, back past the end of the Broad Walk - you can see how tall the plants are, by the people walking along the Walk in between the two beds.

Phew, 425 photos condensed somehow - hope you're still with me!



8 comments:

sam21ski said...

Gosh it still looks very summery in there with all the bright colours. Can't wait for you to go back when the weather has turned a bit more and the leaves have changed colours and fallen to the ground and become all crunchy, oh and not forgetting that autumnal / wintery nip in the air xxx

Lin said...

Fantastic piccies Helen I am loving all those daisies xxx

Little Arty Journeys said...

WOW! Fabulous photos. So lovely looking through them all.

Kirsten said...

Gorgeous photos, Helen!! Wonderful to see so much colour & texture, I love the grasses & teasels.

craftimamma said...

Wow, that looks like the perfect visit to me Helen. Plenty of glorious sunshine and blue skies to show everything off to perfection, especially 'your' beautiful fountain but not too hot......my perfect weather anyway! Like Lin I love all the daisies too, they always make me smile. Thank you for another lovely visit.

Hugs
Lesley Xx

Sally H said...

Thank you so much for another lovely walk around Kew. Last Sunday we went to visit Meg (She now lives just a 5 minute walk from the botanical gardens in Sheffield) and saw some of the same beauties in flower. I think it is a good year for Michaelmas daisies, as ours in the garden are having a good year too. I love the echinacea - so beautiful, and the gunnera flowers too! stunning photos, Helen x

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Gorgeous photos Helen, thanks for sharing them.
Happy weekend, Angela x

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

From the first photo to the last, I saw the changes that are taking place, not just at Kew but also on your travels to visit there. How different your early morning light looks now that the sun is lowering in the sky.

Once again, this is my second time seeing the Alpine House, the first from the previous post. It looks so alien, doesn't it? I really hope to see inside soon.

The beehive seems to be staying busy, at least I thought I saw some lights flashing when you shot your photos.

I loved the comparison of focal images. What fantastic depth of field shots. Your camera is rather magic, isn't it? Or maybe it's all you!