Kew - Sun after the rain

Well what a wet week we've had.. luckily today was forecast (here at least) mostly dry

 most of the beds have been cleared now
just the last few down this end

 I headed for the Broad Walk

nice to have it to myself!

 alchemila mollis flowers

the purple of the iris makes a great backdrop for the allium head

 up to the Hive

 the mauve poppies that were too windblown last week to photograph, were a bit stiller today, and covered in bees, which were flying in and out and not staying still for photographing!

 clematis

 more bee action

 globe artichoke

 

flowers tumbling over a bench

 hostas

 didn't walk round the other side of the pond last week

nice to see reflections in the sun!

 geraniums (loads of them today)

 catching the sunlight

 cistus (rock rose)

 close up

 the grasses are growing high up round the red and copper cattails.

loving the poppies that are coming through too

 the Temperate House wasn't open yet but there were some nice clouds scudding about

 cloud reflection in the lake

 favourite lake shot!

walked round the side of the lake

 I chose the right side of the lake to do so, as I came across the swan and the 6 cygnets which I haven't seen for some weeks.


a man was sitting on the bench feeding them

 they've grown loads!

swans have a reputation for being vicious - and she - I imagine - was hissing and pecking at a couple of ducks that wanted food too, obviously thinking they were too close to her brood


but she was being hand fed so obviously not really aggressive

I walked past, but turned back, to see the other swan approaching and also being hand fed

there was a huge crowd of geese around too, that approached me, presumably expecting food from me

 cow parsley (possibly) great swathes of it around the edge of the lake

 a family of goslings (Canada Geese probably )
on the top of a bank


mum and dad are just out of shot

 yellow irises round the lake edge

 pine

wandered back to the Rose Garden (heading for food!)

that cloud had rained on me for about a minute

 I stopped to admire the roses before going for breakfast

 my favourite Chihuly (waterlily house)

this is from the phone, whilst I was trying to de-mist the camera lens

 gourds are growing rapidly in the humid atmosphere

 lotus flower against the Chihuly

 just inside the outer door of the waterlily house is a huge hibiscus

centre of it






rather than walk to the cafe round the outside of the Palm House, I cut through it...

large palm trunk (bottle palm )

coffee and cake outside (lemon muffin today)


clouds kept covering the sun, but I sat for a few minutes to enjoy the refreshments


I hadn't gone into the gallery last week (when i went by before 10 it said it was going to be closed for a private event)

 I took some reflections of the displays in the cabinets

some of them are in glass units

 some sit on top (this one's had to be roped off now, apparently they caught people re-arranging them!

 big chimney

 lime crystal tower (or jelly cubes as you prefer)

 walked along the path to the Temperate House


they haven't had the front door open for ages, I thought it was to stop the wind disturbing the Chihuly hanging right inside,


one half of the door was open today though (it is less windy today)

 as I approached you can see people on the top level walking round

 through the door

 the display inside the doorway

love how the blue is intensified on a sunny day by the sky outside

 I went up first off

 I put the longest zoom on

 down below

 before I came down I swapped lenses and played with the globe again

 taken partway down the stairs

 as I came down the stairs and turned the corner I could hear the robin and so had another visitor, she pointed it out hiding in the greenery

these are growing up a pillar at the end of the pathway at the corner,

 not sure what they are but they were beautiful

 I walked up the centre pathway and took this of the chandelier Chihuly through a large fern leaf

Margherites (still not sure)  in a large tub in the middle section

 haven't photographed this one in the middle section for ages...


still not sure

but as with all of them, it's better when the sun catches it

 large groups of these blue ... whatevers...

 fading strelitzia (bird of paradise)

 stone urn on the roof

 paused at the top of path again

 hypericum.   covered in bees (not in shot they kept flying off)  and trying to fool my focus

headed back to the rose garden to sit for a while

 of course, I can't just sit!

 ominous looking clouds but there was no more rain

 it was time to go to the Princess of Wales glasshouse...

the drifts of california poppies on the bank outside are stunning







inside, I noticed that the sloth has been removed (shall miss him!)

 but hurrah, hiding under leaves was a Chinese Water dragon.

I had to look really carefully for him.

 as you can see, he was partly obscured

 I tried to get a different view...

all of a sudden, he jumped off the rock into the water...

 and moved onto another one a little bit closer

then he jumped back in and moved further away again!

 I know they are called Water Dragons, but have never seen on in the water before

 finally I dragged myself away...

 stopping only on the way out for the obligatory shot of the grevillia

 quick walk through the alpine house...

 and the california poppies outside

 love the little pop of blue in the background

 popped into the Orangery to the loo.

greenery outside...


am sure they've painted the tubs in the last few weeks, I am sure they used to be white

 went and looked at the alliums at the end of the Broad Walk,

 they are so beautiful...

 and this was absolutely swarming with bees

 I walked along to the bench I had sat on last week (luckily it was vacant)

 past these beautiful geraniums

 once again, I can't just sit!

 time to head for home...
more foxgloves

pretty raspberry-ripple like roses


apricot dappled with pink

 these tiny flowers were hard to capture

huge alliums

 massive frilly peony

which were flopping over the path from the rain battering they had this week

 teeny tiny pink-blue flowers

 horse chestnut flowers on some of the massive trees lining the path on my exit











the beds at the exit have begonias, dahlias and beautiful daisy/margherites..



I know this is another very photo-heavy post..  thanks for joining me!