Kew - early opening is back, and Marc Quinn

 The day Kim and I have been waiting for since the end of September is here,  the first early opening Saturday at Kew.. and the start of what is an amazing exhibition in the gardens by Marc Quinn. I took more photos than for a long time, so this may be even more photo-heavy than usual.  Enjoy! 

the weather gods were kind to us, and the sky was blue, the air soon warmed up and we are away...

most of the beds have been emptied ready for the next season's planting

my camera had trouble focusing on the boards that tell you about the sculptures so hopefully you can read it. 

there are 3 along the path in front of the Palm House 

this one and the one the other end of the path, you can't walk up to (they are protecting the grass) although we did see someone later walking round it, filming on his phone.  

this is my favourite ... so far (bear in mind we've seen 2 so far.....)

going to have fun with angles, reflections, here all summer 

they are based on pressed plants from Kew's Herbariam 

this one really is stunning.  

so this is the third one in front of  the Palm House

 

fun with shadows too

then it was round the Palm House to the rose garden where this is another one

we approached from behind.

we wanted to complete the trail before 10 when the public are allowed in and it would get crowded

so being able to get right up to this one it was good for reflections 

I can see me....

we both sent each other copies we took 

then we headed towards the Temperate House via the lake,  there are some outside that we'd be able to see before the TH is unlocked at 10, and some inside that we'd go back for later

we came across 3 groups of geese with babies.

one pair had 2, one 4 and one 5 

there were very young, their faces still look green!  so CUTE!!!

nice shadows 

at the lake 

more reflections 

this is always a favourite view when the sky is blue 

the original group of Egyptian goose babies are growing fast; as they were born a few weeks earlier

heading round by the Treetop Walkway towards the Temperate House

lots of cow parsley

this is what Kim was photographing, when i caught up with her

with the Temperate House still closed we headed up the path to the Japanese garden

the flowers on the rowan were beautiful,  looks like there'll be lots of berries later this year 

this one we've seen before as it was an early one to be installed but it's accessible now

the early light was in our faces!

this one is called Burning Desire, and unlike the stainless steel ones, is bronze, painted red

it's based on an orchid 

I was getting in Kim's way again! 

from the side a bit 

the azaleas match it well at present 

we walked through the Chinese grove, we don't often come to this bit

on our way towards the sculptures outside the Temperate House

the lovely pink and white tulips are nearly finished  but still pretty in their stripiness 

the ruined arch (which was built like that) has been closed off for ages for repairs but you can now walk through again 

along here were loads of caterpillars hanging from trees - we nearly walked into several 

just through the arch is a large ceanothus 

near the gallery is another sculpture 

the reflections make them hard to tell what is steel and what is reflection of things behind them 

it's disappeared! 

then it was over to the Temperate House where there are 5,  based on plants that have been used scientifically in medicine. 

this is my new favourite... 

we had fun playing !

I love the way you can hardly see it, it's like looking into water, 

this next one, was fun... blogger has decided to reverse order though 

love the way the grass is mowed in wide paths and leave the rest to grow wild 

big acer outside the gallery

we wanted to see the sculpture at the main gate before it got busy and popular, before 10 so headed down camellia walk

new areas being created 

from a distance

this is another one based on an orchid

now the event is open you can walk right up to this one too, unlike when we were here last time 

so time for reflections and selfie play!

Kim was tired by now - first time without her crutch - so we went to the cafe for tea and cake 

our friends Patrick and Joyce were there today - we'd seen them at the gate at 8o'clock - we've not seen them for ages

cake is banana cake with banana chips - not that there were many chips!  with a frosting icing 

it turned 10 whilst we were eating and the gates opened.

we headed back to the Temperate House for the inside exhibits

as we walked along the path towards the Temperate House we came across some more babies!

at the end of the new bit of the Mediterranean garden, the sun was nearly out enough to open the California poppies

not many tulips left now, and I wasn't in macro mode...

the sun was glinting on my favourite leafy sculpture in the distance!

into the Temperate House from the "tulip" end

in here, Marc has made 2 large bronze bonsai sculptures 

and 2 smaller ones, 

the 2 large ones he imagined having been "set free" from their pruning to grow to full height.

you can see them through the doorway from a distance

one of the smaller ones

not totally sure about this, maybe it will grow on me... 

it did look good in the octogan though, with the blue sky outside and the room nearly empty of it's normal planting

nice shadows!  

through into the main atrium now 

nice light patterns

we hadn't realised but there are 2 steel ones nestling in the plants too

this was a good one, but a bit far back in the bed for reflection fun!

there were people going up the down stairs, tut tut 

into the next octagon 

and the next bronze bonsai

gorgeous light through the glass, what a perfect day for it.  

took some crouching down 

the other  "smaller" one 

into the final part of the temperate house

lots more birds of paradise in flower 

blogger is reversing again...

we came out of a side door and headed to the gallery

couldn't resist another one!

bluebells in the sunshine 

there was a steel sculpture on the wall 

we joked with the attendant that she'd be in everyone's photos!

paintings.  this was stunning.

the one on the phone caught it better.  it's covered in broken glass, 

it's a beautiful painting

this was stunning,  

this was cool,  one vase, 

or 4? 

from the side it's 4

as we walked back to the entrance the orchid by the entrance was proving popular 

we walked past the palm sculptures again

the early sun having risen wasn't glinting off them now 

so we took some more photos!

wow!  

the water was even on at "my" fountain! 

the big one in the centre.   

definitely my favourite (!) 

I tried to capture the fountain in the gap

damn, reversed my pics again

bed at top of Broad Walk 

this is the one the man was walking round!

I can't correct the order, sorry, I am tired!

heading down the broad walk now 

more alliums out 

round by the hive

to check the wisteria 

the scent was delicious but there aren't may flowers 

I remember when you could barely see out from in the middle for flowers. 

the water isn't running on this feature either 

bluebells outside the POW 

passionflower 

haven't been in the orchid rooms for a while 

always struggle with this for backlighting 

in the carnivourous room 

for the shapes 

along the top path of the rock garden - in the wrong order!

pasqueflower, in seed.  love love love 

outside the alpine house

inside alpine house 

"tortoise" 

the label calls it greenovia diplocycla  

if you say so !

the end of the rock garden 

cuban lily 

irises, lush! 

this rose on the pergola through the evolution garden had a lovely scent

none of the others are in flower yet 

we found some poppies

these in the middle of the bed sadly 

called royal wedding 

some whopper peonies

at the end of the evolution garden

the peony beds proper

round the mound by the temple of Aeolus

deep with cow parsley

at the pond on our way to the exit

I need to bring the long zoom!  

light through gunnera

by the war memorial another ceanothus

and at the exit, the tulips still holding on! 

I hope you enjoyed the walk - about 5 miles, 4 hours and 450 photos... 

thanks for looking see you next week for more.

oh, I did take one more, closer to home in a garden down the road!

see you soon!