Kew - well it's Saturday!

We are in the middle of some hot weather in the south of England right now, but first thing at Kew today was positively chilly...Sit back and enjoy the latest visit before something different tomorrow!

it even felt as though it might rain... (it didn't) 

the cloud remained for hours!

the centre bed has really opened out in a  week

I headed down the Broad Walk first

yep, these again

the allium stems are twisting round each other so it looks double headed 

it's early in the post for blogger to be reversing pics.

wild flowers at the top of a slope alongside the Princess of Wales conservatory

into the Evolution Garden

this been was so still, I hope it was just asleep waiting for the sun to warm it up

coming through the gap in the wall from the rock garden

lots of red hot pokers

beautiful roses

veg garden - I noticed this week the beds are staggered 

I didn't go back into the veg garden this week but they are really filling out

love that the agapanthus are in flower now

still some roses on the pergola uprights

I had a quick look at the wildflower bed - a few last poppies in the further section 

eryngium still looking good

if out of order!  

asters.  

not rain drop I don't think, it must be watering drops!

the bed along the back of this section is full of blue echinops

and towering rudbeckia like flowers (may be rudbeckia, I was round the wrong side to see labels)

then I walked back to the Palm House and the bed along the side of the pond

red crocosmia with pretty purple thalictrum

there wasn't much (any) sun on the spray of the fountain yet and I forgot to check later

as I walked back toward the Palm House I watched the huge group of geese limboing under the railings to cross to path

(the railings are there to stop the visitors for Kew the Music concerts straying onto "forbidden" areas in the dark...) 

I really like the beds/planting this year 

walking through the rose garden...

walking through the Mediterranean garden, aeonium planted directly the in ground (in a different area to last year, more protected here)  

they're not fully hardy so I think they probably take them in for winter

walking round the Temperate House I was sad to see that apart from one little patch, they've moved the slopes in front/all round the TH  and so all the poppies have gone... 

walking up Cedar Vista towards the lake,

the hydrangeas are out

not sure how they get pink and blue flowers in the same area, as one grows in acidic and one in alkaline soil  ... 

smoke bush - there are no flowers lower down only up high

walking round the side of the lake, I was looking for dragonflies as there are often lots here, but maybe it was too early and dull still

had to go and play in the mirrors

I was very laden down today, with an extra bag for water, suncream, my hat.... most of it unnecessary for a lot of the morning

when I got back to the Palm House

i decided to go and have breakfast (9.30 by now,so can still be breakfast!)

as it was still fresh (not really chilly, but not much sun yet)  I went for the hot option of cheese and mushroom croissant and coffee!

then by the time I'd finished as it was almost 10  (there was a long queue of people at the gate waiting for non member opening)

I went up the path and across the grass past the trolls, Matt and Helen 

into the Temperate House where they'd opened the doors

where I walked through the first sections

I love the black stems of the tree ferns

and of course before I went up to the viewing platform it had to be the Silver Daisy bush

there was hardly anyone in the TH yet, 

and I had the viewing platform to myself...

apart from a dead moth caught in some kind of web/cobweb on the window

the sun came in and out as I walked round the platform

everything is so tall in here!

heading down the spiral staircase

I'd started to walk off before remembering to go and check the label...

a lilac fuschia  (comes from Mexico)

Angel's trumpets (brugmansia)

I think last time I labelled them trumpet vine,)

the tamarillo,  tree tomato are flowering and setting fruit again

in the southern octagon,  

I had to lift this and take the picture one-haned as you can see, it hangs it's head!

I was hoping more of the passionflowers would be opened but still mostly in bud

the higher flowers are opened

and by the door, agapanthus

next,  I headed back up the grass towards the Palm House

where I went in through the central door from the rose garden side

past the hibiscus 

as I walked along the path on the left of the palm house, I stopped to admire these fluffy flowers that had fallen from it's plant and been placed on the wall

this time on my way out I DID pause to take photos of the rusty door

and wall of the entrance porch

before exiting the humidity 

into the waterlily house,

where the pelican flower has more flowers

then headed across the grass and crossed the Broad Walk towards

the Princess of Wales conservatory

walking through the desert cacti section

to see the waterlilies

You may have seen on the news this week that Kew has discovered that they have a new species of waterlily, previously unknown to science 

read here 

hopefully you can click to enlarge this enough to read it

the jade vine is growing new (fruit?) 

on the upper level I tried again for the small passionflower growing on the arch

I should have used the phone, i think !

they hide on the inside of the leaves

they have pelican flowers in here too

there's a smaller flowered hibiscus tucked away just by the door to the orchid rooms

on one of the arches left from the orchid display

I think this is a variety of passionflower

there was one flower on the more traditionally coloured passionflower

and the little yellow ones I saw last week are starting to open

lots to come on this pinky one

paused on the way out by the grevillea

then into the alpine house

the sky outside was finally blue!

I finally put my hat on as I walked across to the Duke's garden now that it was brighter

the red daylilies were beautiful in the sun

and the golden orangey yellow ones weren't too bad either

achillea withe the 'fried egg' plant behind

I love their papery white petals

lobelia

poppy seed heads outside the Orangery restaurant

small yellow daylilies 

on the way to the exit,  beautiful red canna lilies

I had decided to leave early - 11.30 ish - to get home before it got too hot (although it's only up to 26c max here today)  as I will be out tomorrow when it will be HOT  

but tomorrow's trip will be worth it!  

thanks for looking, see you soon.  Now I am going to watch the final set of the Ladies final at Wimbledon, it's been on in the background whilst writing this!  good job it's gone to a final set.