Saturday, May 20, 2017

It's a purple day!

My mate Sam commented on the last couple of posts about the preponderance of purple... she's right! It is one of my favourite colours, so this season is just perfect for me at Kew!
Got there at 8am again... Glorious sunshine... sit back and enjoy!  (yes, I got carried away again with the alliums!)

 I can't help it, I love these beds!

 not seen much blue sky the last few days in London!


 the Gunnera is growing rapidly but has a way to go before it reaches it's peak size, but already making for a dramatic picture

we had a lot of rain this week and once more petals all around were holding droplets of rain

we're walking down the Broad Walk now...



 geum

think you know what these are!








 the Hive backlit by sunshine

 overlooking the wildflower meadow surrounding the Hive... bench too wet to sit on!
 shadow playtime!

 Princess of Wales glasshouse
 Rock Garden






 raindrops on roses   peonies
  this poppy was huge!

 the pergola will be a mass of colour soon
some there already!
 more raindrops on peonies

 loved the shape of the netting over this plant pot (the netting is over one of the veg beds, the pots are on the tops of sticks holding the netting up)
pot patterns..










tree reflections in the waterlily ponds
more purple, Sam!

the Alpine House
pine tree flowers
9.30 - off for breakfast past my favourites!

promise of more to come!


after breakfast, through the Arboretum


 new windows in the Temperate House - due to re-open next Spring


 reflections in the windows of one of the galleries

 lots of squirrels about today
 the smell of the azaleas was gorgeous

 the Palm House.....

 which means more allium pics!
 Waterlily house
 water gathered in the leaves


 they've grown a lot in a week!
no words needed!



 inside the Palm House

 these daisy like flowers have replaced the gorgeous orange tulips from a few weeks ago


 ah, cute!
 no idea at all how this has come out black and white, but I like the atmosphere it gives (have always loved black and white photography)
 it's this colour really!





 formal display outside Kew Palace
 love the paving
 laburnum arch is glorious!



 roses in the foreground of Kew Palace from the sunken Queens Garden

 gorgeous teasels..
twins!


and then it started raining - just a brief shower, but it was time to head home anyway!


7 comments:

craftimamma said...

Fabulous as always Helen! I for one love all those purple aliums and the white ones too. My favourite pic today is the beautiful iris with the raindrops on....just stunning!

Hugs
Lesley Xx

Little Arty Journeys said...

What wonderful colours!

Julia Dunnit said...

Love the gunners, it truly is like dinosaur food isn't it! The alliums are still gorgeous, even the white ones look lovely in numbers. And gimme raindrops on peonies any day, gotta be in my top ten blooms!!

Kirsten said...

Stunning photos!

Sally H said...

Thank you for another glorious tour of Kew! The alliums are stunning and one of my favourites too, as is the colour purple. Sorry I haven't popped by in a while.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

It was really bright and sunny for 8 am. It looked more like noon to me, but I guess it gets light so much earlier now.

I had to look up Gunnera in order to learn what you were referring to. I can see what you mean by their leaves needing to get larger. They are certainly unique, especially to your part of the world.

I LOVE the Princess of Wales glass house and of course, I am a big fan of the Rock Garden. Until my front flower bed grew in, I had lots of large rocks I brought in to cover the front yard. Now they are all covered, so I get my thrills by seeing the ones at Kew!

So glad to see the Hive is active once again. This is something I would love to see in person.

And of course, I always love it when you show the Alpine house. What I wouldn't give to have a garden like that.

I saw architecture and plants I've never seen before and areas I've not seen, too. I'm so glad you have a Friend's membership, because these early mornings are the perfect time for taking photos without a lot of others in the scene. And, you are back home in time for lunch, I suspect.

Thanks for taking us with you to Kew this week.

Kirsten said...

I've been very proud of my aliums this year, but they're nothing compared to these!! Stunning photos once again, Helen. Favourites for me this time; the laburnum and the peonies with added raindrops.