a Bank Holiday Saturday trip to Kew

Well, of course... although I nearly didn't, I was thinking about going to a craft show in Worthing.  But Kew won out... the weather was perfect...  I am going to try and not upload as many photos as last week (oops, over 300) to keep this a bit more manageable. 

 they opened the gates two minutes early, ha ha so I was in like a shot.


the alliums still looking good at the Palm House.

 there was a great squawking behind me as I took  my opening shot...

a large family of geese babies included, walking along the path

 on closer inspection the alliums are already starting to go over...

 but that's ok, they look good in all stages (I saw a fantastic display on tv at the Chelsea Flower Show of dried allium seed heads, it was stunning)

 I spoke to two Kew people at the Summer Sun piece, about why the fountain is off so often - at the moment it is because there is a coot nesting around the foot of it, so that's a good reason for now!

I headed round the corner

the early morning sun was trying to break through some fairly heavy (but white) clouds..

so did shimmer a bit on the Paintbrushes

 I went down the Broad Walk first

I think they must have deliberately gone mostly purple in the Broad Walk... no complaints from me, it's my favourite colour!

there are a few pockets of other colours

this orange (geum, I think) goes well, and there's some pale blue peaking behind it

 bobbles of water on the alchemilla

 and some bright pink

 more irises

 learned this is fennel thanks to the Chelsea Flower Show


the bees were loving it

 halfway along the Broad Walk I cut round to the Hive and admired the wildflowers around the bank underneath it

 the looked down at the trees/shrubs below

 there a small patch of poppies up at the top of the path

 for some reason I always walk up the slope and down the steps (rather than the other way round)

 as I exited to the left, I noticed this in the hedge (I think it's a hawthorn hedge) along the Hive...

 hmm  breakfast time for the caterpillars!

 I walked round to the Rock Garden.  a large flock of starlings flew up from the hill in the foreground (where I had been going to take a decent picture of them) and flew, en masse to the one where they are now!

 irises everywhere  in the rock garden

 the students at the school of horticulture based at Kew have their own patch in the vegetable garden, there were two tending to their plots



the lady I normally meet at the gate waiting to go in, had said that the new plant family beds they've been working on, were accessible from the top end but not from this bit as I had thought...

so I doubled back down the path at the edge of the rock garden..

 and went and had a look.. they weren't working today (I suppose it is a bank holiday weekend, so understandable, perhaps they're on track for when it re-opens in about 3 weeks)

 you can't get very close though as there is still a barrier along the edge of the pergola

 but it's looking very neat and tidy and new!

 they've left the large roses over the arch, but they took all the roses along the pergola out, to revitalise it completely

 gorgeous deep pinky-red

 frilly pink irises

 love the way the scillia splay out

 another flush of peonies have bloomed

 some late tulips

 didn't see the name on this tree but it was huge,and smothered in blossom

 headed round the back of the pond

 the giant gunnera is - giant!

 you can see the coot returning to it's nest at the base of the fountain

 headed past the entrance and across the still dewy grass past some rambling roses

 Palm House backdrop

 cistus (rock rose) round the back of the Mediterranean garden

 growing up trees

 coming back here again

 there were all kinds of bees and hover fly insects on the cistus

just round the corner to this..

loving the grasses left to grow wild round the glass



I was talking to the Kew lady (not sure if she's a student or just working for Kew) who was on duty (stopping people getting in amongst them)  about whether they'll eventually cut the grass back at bit, or leave it entirely

 the top part of the right hand side has this huge patch of yellow daisy like flowers which we both agreed look fabulous

around the red and orange glass

 bird's eye view - plane flying into Heathrow far left!

I was going to walk down the path behind this tree, to the Japanese garden, but noticed (it was only 9.20) that they'd opened the Temperate House early - normally only open at 10 - so in I went

 just can't resist

selfie in the Ikebana (long skirt today as it was warm)

 and in this too

and this one!

 although most of the silver daisy bush has been cut back, there is still a little left

 climbing up the stairs to look from above

 the sun was trying to come back out again

 leaning over the ledge

 doubled back round and went round the other way as the sun was in the right direction for better photos

through the window to the cones outside

 having said I never see ceanothus at Kew I found another one today! 

I guess I just never walked down the right paths at the right time of year

as I walked through the arch in the photo above, I nearly walked into this, hanging around -  a caterpillar hanging from a tree by a thread...
It's only because it suddenly moved in the breeze that I noticed it!

 view up to the Pagoda

 massive tree covered in flowers.

 not sure what it is!

 Philadelphus (mock orange) smelling delicious

from the Japanese garden I headed past a huge rhododendron on my way to the lake

 this is barely a quarter of it

(note I am not laden down with camera equipment as I put it on the floor first!)

 the lake always calls for the wide angle

 table dogwood   smothered in blossom

 the father swan was on the bank, but no sign of the mother and six cygnets - they were around earlier as the lady I meet at the gate had told me when I bumped into her again

 love this shot on wide angle here

 didn't climb the Walkway today

 but headed back through here again!

I watched the bumble bee trying to get out of the centre of the flower!

 Chir pine

 cutting across the grass to the gallery, past the Fringe Tree again

 shadows

gardens map for you!

 red salvia

past the entrance - time for coffee and cake!

cherry frangipane tart today (a new one to try!)

 afterwards, time to go back past the Palm House..

 the sky was turning cloudy and sunny and cloudy and sunny.... but it was warm (22 degrees)

 headed into the waterlily house, which today being warm outside didn't interfere with my lens

loads of waterlilies coming out now to complement the sculpture

I think this is my favourite.....

 it was really busy in there and people were pushing past (the path round the pond is narrow) to try and get their photos,

 big red passionflower

so I left them to it.

Mum always used to have these as house plants.  the common name is Shrimp Plant... think you can see why!

 they like it just inside the door of the waterlily house where it is starting to get humid before you go inside properly

 the red reeds outside (there are a "bunch" either side of the door)

 went round into the Rose Garden..

starting to get colourful

 sat in the sun and cloud-watched for a while

 before heading to the Princess of Wales glasshouse to look for dragons...

 the sloth's eye seems to be falling out!

 I walked round a couple of times checking, but no dragons this week

 banana anyone?

 these were tiny, growing through an air plant.  or maybe they were the flowers of the airplant (don't know much about them, if they do flower)

 I tried hard to focus on the water drops

 the wall at the top of the temperate fern section is now covered in green and these gorgeous flowers - I think it's a bougainvillea by the look of the flowers

 these seem to last for ages - there were flowering in February when the orchids were on

 another passionflower

 i love the patterns the fern leaves make

 another favourite!

 the foxgloves by the door

more clouds

 the blinds in the alpine house were fully down, looking more like sails than ever

 not much grabbed my attention today

 back outside again

 after a loo break, went and sat on a bench in the Broad Walk - nice and warm in the sun

 I love hardy geraniums

 I walked round the back of the beds on theBroad Walk

 and played with lenses

 irises, round the back of the Orangery restaurant

 really dark ones,,

 slightly lighter ones

 beautiful mix of magenta peonies and the dark purple irises

 vase just inside the Orangery restaurant..

was debating an ice cream but there was quite a queue so left it..

 beds by the entrance at the Elizabeth gate.

 took a right turn instead of leaving


this rose is aptly named Kew Gardens

 popped back in to look for dragons again... still not around

 I remember promising to keep an eye on this...

label says it's alcantarea nevaresii  (it's a bromeliad)

and that's your lot! 


thanks for joining me and enjoying the sunshine!