Kew

 Another chilly day for Kew but at least the sun came out later on ...

we started in my usual spot....

sneaks of blue but it was cold 

most of the dogwood round the pond have been cut back 

paused to look at the primulas in the palm house bedding .. was testing the lens, was going to have problems again today!  

not sure if it might be the camera body that is the issue not the lens...

however, headed down the Broad Walk whilst a crowd headed for the Orchids (Kim and I have a time slot for next Saturday, it finishes next weekend already) 

the euphorbia are always lovely at this time of year as they develop.  The wind was a b&**er though...

then we went round past the monkey puzzle tree near the Orangery 

new growth spurt!  

the sun was catching the ends but they don't reflect so well in the photos

we were on our way to the evolution garden via the grass garden  and passed some magnolias -  a few first flowers were opening!  yay!! Spring!  

there were some really pretty little birds in this tree, but they blended so well with the foliage I couldn't get any photos

winter honeysuckle in the gateway of the Duke's Garden

smelled beautiful

seed pods one a shrub...

the alpine house.  behind us, the sky was turning very grey...

luckily the wind blew the rain away

I'd watched a film on the Kew website before heading out about the "big cut" of the grass garden - about 25-30 staff/volunteers took 2 days to trim it at the start of February

It will soon grow back, lots of them are seasonal annual grasses.  

I took this from the doorway of the Bonsai house,  the camera toward the lower middle of the right edge is Kim!

ostrich plume fern in the evolution garden

a blurry magnolia flower (partly me, partly the wind!)  

this was a bit too far into the bed to capture well

it's a Lily of the Valley bush - rather than the more well known lily of the valley bulbs

the hydrangea is still in place, with it's fabulous skeleton leaves 

then to the rock garden 

these are in the evolution garden, thanks blogger

agave,  the creamy spiky looking edges to the leaves were glowing in the sun but I couldn't capture the beauty

love the dark tips to the leaves

standing inside the doorway of the alpine house,  the other door was open so you can see out to the grass garden

the other side bed

there was a concrete trough on the floor by the door,  such pretty little flowers

they've put a lot of new plants in this week 

they bury the pots in the soil under the grit/pebble surface so the displays are easy to change

these are the tiny little flowers I tried to capture the other week

then back out through the top path of the rock garden 

headed back past the Orchids queue,

lots of crocus under trees

this is the end of the little woody walk between the POW and back to the palm house

witch hazel 

more spring blossom 

pretty pink and white camelia 

my favourite weeping cherry tree by the side of the Palm House pond is starting to bud 

near the cafe

we found a seat inside - cheese and mushroom croissant today rather than cake! 

then back outside again 

lots of crocus under more trees 

beautiful pattern in the bark of this black pine 

but the sky was definitely bluer now

we made a mental note to look at the yellow bushes later!

the lake 

we walked through the woodland again, snowdrops in the sunshine 

near Queen Charlotte's cottage.  I swear this wasn't in flower last week but I didn't take a photo from this angle so can't check!

walking through the redwood glade (and other trees)

as we cut back to the Temperate house there were lots of daffodils 

in the Temperate House

they were wrong to put "won't last long" on the sign by this - it's been flowering weeks

gorgeous colour on the stems of the leaves 

Kim was photographing this too, she got me moving out of shot!  

fern unfurling downwards...

as promised, the yellow shrub from earlier!

it was time to head home - a train for me today for the first time in weeks again.

so I headed across the rose garden and Kim for her exit. 

shame it was late so that I missed my connection at Clapham Junction and had another 30 minutes to wait,  probably would have been as quick by bus......

Thanks for looking again, and see you next week - one last visit to the orchids will be the highlight.