May Day - 8am earlies are back!

The day all the regulars have been waiting for - 1 May and the beginning of the new season's 8am members opened treat!  So despite a normal Saturday visit, had to go again today.  The weather was completely different and we saw lots of different things 

cool, cloudy and barely any blue in the sky...but so peaceful, noticeably so at 8. 

we saw some other regulars who'd also been on Saturday,  we couldn't bear to miss the first 8am opening!  

we'd neither of us noticed the new alium heads in the round bed at the top of the Broad Walk on Saturday - they must have been there -  but today we did and also in drifts down the Broad Walk too

some of the alliums are nearly opened.  I do love my alliums!

there was no sun to illuminate the tulips today sadly but what a beautiful red it is.

pinky bluebells!  

camassia

cuban lily (scilla) in the rock garden

the only disadvantage about the 8am starts is the greenhouses don't open till 10... so we bypassed the alpine house for now 

into the evolution garden, more camassia

marsh marigold

pasqueflowers (we didn't go along the path in the rock garden where the bigger drifts are today)

towards the end of the evolution garden, everything is springing up and growing well  

the tree is other side of the path (it's the black walnut at the bottom of the hill where the temple is

peonies are coming into flower

the gunnera by the Palm House pond are growing daily

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the pink and white tulips which feature in places all through the gardens are all different colours - they must mix!  

we were tempted to stop for a very early drink break but didn't want to miss the peace and quiet

still some camelias out 

colour leaf

teeny flowers

there's a tree at the start of the new(ish) winter garden that has new growth growing straight up!

bergenia

hellebore,  lovely dark colour

ceanothus 

such a lovely blue 

I love how they leave areas of grass to grow wild and only mow strips between them

tree fern

bright red in azalea in the Japanese garden

chaenomoles against the gravel 

still some prunus blossom by the Japanese garden

as I came round the side of the Japanese Garden I saw a glimpse of white blossom to the left...  what a whopper!  I remember this from last year

it is smothered!

we then headed towards the woodland walk 

no sun today so they didn't look their best

we couldn't believe how much more wild garlic was out from Saturday!

whilst taking pictures of the umbels,  I noticed a brown lady bird - never seen one that wasn't red before 

even after the white blossom drops, it's pretty

at the lake.   there seems to be a single swan without a mate this year 

the daisies hadn't opened as there was no sun; and I don't know what the little purple ones are 

didn't see what they've planted in the monoculture area at the mirrors, but they're growing!

I had the macro lens on so didn't get much in

Kim was moving faster than my reluctant to auto-focus camera could cope with

but she got me!

we decided to stop for breakfast - it was just after 10 and there was a brief shower of rain (about 2 minutes) so we ate inside

then we headed for the POW 

I should have taken a longer view of the length of the spike this is growing on

love the little babies on the side of this cactus!

cactus coming into flower - will be gone by next weekend

pink flower spike from the front

and side, leaning over the little barrier

a bit of a misted up shot 

ferns in the carnivorous room 

vibrant pink of the bottle brush

water drops!

pretty leaves

camera had a fit for a while....

quick walk through the orchid rooms

and the upper rooms where we spotted a snail

we escaped the steamy humidity for the alpine house

this is a bit dark, but they were very pretty

agave (I think) looking like a cabbage!

these were gorgeous against the yellow behind

the cuban lily in the alpine house looking beautiful

thought I'd got the bee more in focus!

some more, in the rock garden

looking towards the Duke's garden

the leopard from the orchid display guarding one of the student's veg beds!

walking through the end of the evolution garden, ferns

we headed for the waterlily house - this is the tall tree that I colour matched a couple of weeks ago, it's a much paler pink now

inside the waterlily house

the pads do grow fast!

and there's already quite a few flowers

one of the corner ponds 

and then past the Palm house on our way home 

it was about 11.30 and getting busy, we'd seen everything we wanted to so we left Kew to the bank holiday crowds (and of course the sun came out!)

Thanks for looking (again)  I won't be going next Saturday (will be watching the King's coronations)  but will probably go on Sunday (or the Monday, another bank holiday - although all 3 days are currently forecast rain!