Kew - final trip to the orchids

Welcome back.  This weekend is the last weekend of the orchid festival, it has flown by as my friend Lesley said earlier.  Dull and much colder than I anticipated, but still got some great photos.  Hope you enjoy them.

there's a stiff breeze blowing as i walked round towards the orchids

but the bulbs in the bedding display are growing well

I paused just to take a photo across the pond of the fountain  before going and getting in line for my orchid time slot

the stewards organising the queue recognise me now!

loving the sloth

realised I hadn't really looked closely at the bats

then through the doors (lens misting up!)  into the tropical main section  the yellow archway first

peeking through the plants towards the Rising Sun display

still looking impressive

the bit tubs in the water nearby

the column just behind the Rising Sun

dammit  Blogger is upsetting the order.

close up on one of the turtles

the arch on the upper level, from the bottom of the steps you can't use as present

the snake,  he's another of my favourites

phone version 

cocoa pods 

indoor rhododendron 

Monkey time -  I am really going to miss these guys!  I was surprised yet again, that several people didn't seem to be pausing to look at them!

caused a traffic jam to take some close ups

at the end as I went round the corner I grabbed another view of the monkeys

other things (no idea what this is)  are growing so there'll be plenty to see once the orchids go

orchids on the arch 

I'm not sure I'd noticed these before (there's been lots of people in the way, there were today, I had to take this over their heads)

in the last week of the event they have tweaked the one way walk through (it worked better, too)

this isn't an orchid obviously but I've always struggled to get decent photos of it as the yellow seems to upset my camera's focus!

the setting sun 

the joys of long lenses,  the turtle seems so close from the upper path

the arch on the upper path has been just green until recently but these are coming out now

the upper level arch from the phone 

the Rising Sun from "upstairs"

the white arch (my favourite from week one,  not so sure now, still lovely though)

following the one way system round upstairs,

catching other leaves and ferns etc

then down a different set of stairs 

these are such a pretty colour with the mottling too

you then double through the room with the hummingbirds

I tried so hard to get this in focus for the orchid and the water drop!  this is the best of the bunch

the revised one way system means this week the masks are one of the last things you see

a final glimpse of the monkeys before I had to leave

2022's Orchid Festival has been as good as ever - thank you, Kew! 

outside, the bed at the entrance (although for the Orchids its exit only)  is now full of daffodils in bloom 

I headed for the alpine house next

but as I walked past the outside of the Princess of Wales conservatory, I noticed in the gloomy outside sky, the monkeys are visible through the glass!  Fab... bye bye monkeys!

the doors were closed today as the wind was strong, and chilly

plenty to admire though inside

walking through the rock garden,  

the  prostrate  euphorbia now further in flower

variety called myrsinites

through the arch in the wall to the evolution garden

this climber is actually on the wall behind the currently empty vegetable beds

on the other side of the path way,  the Evolution garden itself

large patches of daffodils

and some little hyacinth orientalis

as I turned onto the main path through the rose pergola,  I saw these on the surface of a bed -  they're from an iris

at the end of the Evolution Garden the path splits round toward the Palm House or they way I went, through the woodland garden

so I didn't get to see this white tree/shrub closer to see what it is.

the slope now smothered in daffodils by the temple of  Aeolus

a mahonia flowering in the woodland walk

alongside the path the other side of the temple,  more daffodils

no sun today so I didn't put the longer lens on, 

so just a couple of the spray blowing in the wind

one on the phone

I decided to stop for refreshments early, lots of other people had the same idea but I found a table inside out of the chill

I didn't stop for long though,  and headed outside again

I started along Camellia Walk  past a bit white magnolia that is flowering

and then headed from the camellias 

across the grass though drifts of daffodils  placing my feet carefully!

towards the Temperate House I found these, 

can never remember what they are

inside the Temperate House 

a big red azalea

some orchids in a big tub

then it was the Silver Daisy Bush time

just love it

 Up to the viewing platform next

from halfway up the stairs

I like to walk left one week adn right (this ) the next 

so you get different views of things below

leaning over the edge

back at ground level

Spring blossom everywhere now in the gardens

the wind was playing havoc with trying to capture them though

Ribes  (flowering currant)

then "inland"  towards the lake,  the ground was squishy and muddy from rain in the week

but lots of daffodils everywhere 

(which blogger is reversing!) 

the acer winter gold by the top of the lake

there were several groups of geese, some in the water some on the paths, making a right racket!

it was a very dull day as I've said, but this was gorgeous

I headed towards the magnolias - so much more in flower than last week

the ground was very muddy too here - it always gets like that in rain -  so I had to be very careful

I may have got carried away

they look a little different against grey skies though

on my way to the exit now

drifts of crocus off to the side of the Broad Walk in front of the Hive

another magnolia by the path  near the Orangery restaurant 

and the spring bedding in the beds by the exit 

I managed to get home on the right train (a mix up on my way here had meant a late running train came in at Clapham Junction and I hadn't heard the announcement... luckily it was going in the right direction so I was actually earlier than I would have been on the right train!) 

Thanks for looking.

next week may be a Sunday trip as I am hoping to go to a craft show  on Saturday at Alexandra Palace with my friend Lin whom I've not seen for about 3 years what with Covid and all.