2024 - a new year starts at Kew

My first trip of the year to Kew.. Maybe this year I will finally separate my favourite photo of the month during the year and put them together in a calendar of my own.... 

there were even hints of blue sky as I entered... after all the rain this week it was a welcome sight

I took a different route today and headed towards the woodland walk

it was looking quite soggy on the grass but I kept to the paths 

it was not as muddy as I had expected after such a lot of rain this week

I passed some funghi

 

the snowdrops were starting to poke through here too, it's less sheltered than the rock garden so they're not as early 

this squirrel seemed to stop his climbing to watch me

I went round the the kids log trail to see if there was more funghi there

then carried on to the lake

the blue sky hadn't come to a lot so it was quite dull, but there were some decent reflections 

as I approached the crossing,the dogwood at the side was bright, and the leaf litter under the big tree made a bright orange carpet

there were lots of gulls flying around and several on the posts of the crossing too, they seem to love perching there

the swans by the side of the lake where Peter often sits to feed them, seemed to be looking for him.  

I cut across the grass back to the Palm House

and walked through part of it,

it was steamy inside

so I came out through the main door and back along the pond

bedding in front of the Palm House

I stopped at the top of the Broad Walk just to capture the hellebores

and found some facing the right way for once

the pattern on these leaves also caught my eye.

then I headed into the Princess of Wales conservatory

this aloe had loads of yellow blooms all over it

there was a big pot with a passionflower near the exit, with one flower

and a pot with some orchids in

This year's Orchid Festival that starts at the beginning of February is featuring orchids from Madegascar and the time slots opened this week, I have already booked mine.

then it was along to the alpine house,

the grass garden still looking good

I failed to get a good photo of this last week (it blurred) and it's grown since..

it's called a whiteheadia bifolia.... I will await flowers which I assume may be white....

the spiral aloe in the rock garden 

snowdrops in the rock garden

a quick walk through the Evolution Garden

the physalis are starting to fade now

the leaves of the cardoon that have been left were glistening, but the effect doesn't show in the photo

echinops seed heads at the far end

I took the woodland path back to the palm house and found some more funghi along the logs that border the path

some yellow witch hazel - couldn't get closer as they are working on the grass in front of it and you can't walk on it

back at the Palm House and the pond

there were some gorgeous reflections 

the Christmas at Kew event finishes tomorrow so it will be being dismantled next week...  and hopefully they will turn "my" fountain back on..

there was a hint of sun peeking through the windows of the Palm House 

and the sky was very atmospheric, so I took several 

I also changed lens back so I could see it properly

this was the one I took on the phone :

you know how I love a sky, and a reflection! 

I think this might get pinpointed for the calendar!

there were some men down at the water's edge I think they were possibly checking the lights for the Christmas event as there was a truck with a load of tools on the path.  they are out of sight behind the white box thing in the bottom right of this picture

a few steps further round and the light was different and the colours showed up better

but I loved the moody images better

just to show there was some blue sky!

thanks for looking, see you next week.