When you miss Saturday at Kew....

Go on Monday!  I tagged an extra day's holiday onto my weekend away for the WOYWW crop (see here if you missed it)  so that I could get my weekly fix of Kew Gardens...

 I was shocked at the state of the alliums in the Palm House beds... they looked like someone had run amok through them!

the sun was glinting on the Summer Sun

I went down part of the Broad Walk first.

 raindrops on roses... all together now!

(it wasn't rain, it was a beautiful day)

irises

 the alliums down the Broad Walk are in better condition!

there are a few poppies in the wildflower meadow

nettles in flower

 I went and sat on the floor of the Hive (laid down actually)

 wide angle lens

 I was part way down the slope when it occurred to me to use the globe...

 bees on the irises at the top of the rock garden

 huge clematis flowers

more bees.. this one looked as if it was asleep as it wasn't moving. 

not sure that they do sleep so I hope it was ok

 different coloured clematis, different coloured middles!

 there were lots of ladybirds too

 reverse ladybird! red on black not black on red..



now, if you are easily offended by sexual activity, look away now...

 ahem. mating ladybirds

 a new mass of peonies have opened

 massive peony

 being Monday there were lots of workers although these two had stopped for a chat (it sounded very worklike when I went past though)

 I headed round the pond for an early refreshment as I had only had a cup of tea before leaving home


the gunnera is growing still

following on from the WOYWW crop, it had to be cake (not that it isn't usually!)

lemon muffin, if you need to know.

 after a quick pitstop I headed back past the entrance

 and across the grass past the huge Chinese dogwood

 there was a smaller, yellow one too

 large thistles against the light to get a sillhouette effect

 and from the other side

 lots more to come

 went round to see the Chihuly

wide angle back on for the threatening sky... but it didn't rain!

 I liked the effect of the wide angle so carried on for a while

 round by the Temperate House as well

 I like that now it's becoming quite meadowlike round the red Chihuly pieces, poppies are growing.


When I was there last weekend, the girl protecting this bit said it was the part of the exhibit Dale was most excited about, as it had most capacity to change during the time it was here

don't think it was yet ten, but the doors were open

from the doorway down the length

 there weren't many people in yet so I could lie down and shoot upwards

 was still doing wide angles.

 I climbed up the stairs to walk round the top and noticed this flowering

 in the middle of a large plant

 a lady stopped and spoke to me about how beautiful the Chihuly pieces are.

 I was enjoying the shadows and patterns

 I walked past the stairs down to get a view from the other corner

 and put the wide angle lens back on

 which gave me an idea

nice!

 I went back to the stairs and descended

 amazing what you see when you go macro!

 I walked through into the next section

love daisy types as you know

 headed outside (away from large school parties - had forgotten that about visiting in the weektime!)

 had to go into the gallery

I stood against the wall in the room they are showing the film about Chihuly and how he makes his exhibits (which is fascinating)


as I did so I took this

 I walked back down past the Chinese Dogwood - you can see how huge it is

 and went to see the roses

spectacular, both visually and scentwise - they seem to have focussed on scented varieties when they replanted it a couple of years ago.

I "might" have got a bit carried away....

 this was a really gorgeous one, Munstead Wood was it's name

 I always like this angle...

 and realised I hadn't done roses with the globe lens.

I should have "selfied" by Munstead Wood, the colour is more of a match for my hair!

 from the end of the rose garden the waterlily house is only across the path.

there were loads of people inside going ooh and ahh 

considering a few weeks ago, the windows were bare, the growth is incredible - the humidity obviously does it

 it was looking fabulous today

 reflections too

 dark burgundy water lily

loads of waterlilies out

 I headed for the Princess of Wales glasshouse but first had to stop for the Californian Poppies

 and a flowering palm

 Nigella, or love-in-a-mist

I tore myself away....(there are loads more I'm leaving out)

 an adult Chinese Water Dragon was basking on a stone.  surrounded by flies, teeny tiny ones

 suddenly there was a loud plopping sound as he(she) jumped onto the path

 and then scurried to the other side

 where he did sit for a while

 whilst people did the usual 'oh I thought it wasn't real' thing.

 I forgot to come down past this but saw it from the ground floor,

 never forget to photograph this though

walked round towards the Orangery, past the end of the Broad Walk where the alliums are later varieties and stunning!

there was a huge queue for food so abandoned that idea...

 I walked across to the Children's Garden

and peaked through the fence

 wandered through the rhododendron dell

primulas

 iris











foxgloves

 parsley leaved elder (who knew!)  - huge tree, smothered in flowers.

beautiful

 I crossed to the lake and walked around one edge..

 was trying for macro on this but the wind kept blowing so had to go back to the normal close up mode which I can auto-focus with

 a group of growing goslings approached.


beady eyes watching !

 in the lake, a heron was sitting still as, watching for the movement of fish...

 amazing

 the geese walked past this group of picnickers...

who seemed threatened by them and tried to shoo them away...

mumbling "idiots" to myself I walked on...

at the bridge I could see the heron still stood in the water.

(just to left of centre)

 I didn't climb the Treetop today, and headed to the pop up eatery by the Temperate House, for a bit of lunch
(Marie Rose salad, or prawn cocktail in my day... although the prawns were tiny, so maybe they were shrimps)  and coffee..


I sat for a while, then finished a bit hurriedly in the light of this large cloud!

 headed back into the Temperate House



(lantana)

 dichroa (ish, not sure of the spelling)

 back outside - cloud seems to be going the other way




kids love to roll down the slope!

 had to walk right under this huge tree to find the label.


these fascinated me


it's a Caucasian Wing-Nut

of course it is!

walked round the back end of the rose garden so I didn't duplicate from earlier

 I sat on the grass and enjoyed them for a while

before heading through the Palm House and out the other side.

they've been replanting the urns along the edge of the pond
and someone was just ahead of me watering them

 I took some more pics of the alliums

 and Summer Sun still with the grey cloud behind it

 I dashed back to the POW

 and he was still there!

as I took one on my phone too, as I put it away he ducked into the greenery by the path

where he stayed




and that is is for today!  another 600 strong pic-day.. have tried to keep this "short" ...

was really nice to be there on a Monday (couldn't have possibly waited till next Saturday to go, as the weather might not be very good)  so now all I need to do is remember tomorrow is a work day!

thanks for looking