Saturday, July 27, 2024

Kew - blue skies!

 The blue skies returned as we waited to be let in today


and the sun came out to shine on the sculptures at the Palm House


trying to get some different angles 


Kew had put a video on FB in the week about clearing the beds - but it must have been an old one, because as you can see, they are still full! 



they've not dusted the alliums yet this morning !!  



down the Broad Walk 
I think the undersides are more interesting than the tops!

wish we could get closer to these, but they're at back of the bed and no access.  
loved the light on the euphorbia
and one from above




they're so tall I stood on the bench again
the light today was great early doors


hadn't noticed the perfectly formed water drop on the left petal at the time

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago we've been meaning to sneak into the children's playground again early when the sun was out....
today was the day.


the jasmine at the entrance smelt divine!

the sun was in the wrong position really 


there are lots of different areas for kids to play

this was what we really wanted to re-visit as the light makes interesting reflections
although I didn't take any of the floor!

luckily, Kim did!

lots of rudbeckia


I had to go over the stepping stones!






on our way back to the exit



we decided to head to the rhododendron dell to see if we could see the fox cubs


love the undulating ground (this is near the magnolias)

we didn't see the fox cubs so went on up to the woodland walk 





we took the newer walk round to the right 

lots of birdsong and sounds from the golf course nearby (outside the boundary of Kew obviously)



Queen Charlotte's cottage 



wildflowers near some bird boxes and bird feeders  - there were some blue tits around but as my macro doesn't zoom I didn't try and catch them
at the top of the lake, the heron was sat watching for fish

we carried on round the lake
crossing the lake

great reflections


we were looking for the swans - they were swimming across the middle of the lake 
black headed gull on the crossing 

there was another heron in a tree by the crossing

by now the swans had mounted the bank on the right side (as we were headed) so we walked round the end and back towards them
the fast-growing cygnets were lazing in the shade


it was 10 now so we headed to the pavilion cafe for some outdoor tea and pastry!





















then into the Temperate House

these are what is left of some yellow daisy-like flowers in the middle octagon 

love the fluff!

we saw these last week, love the light on them today


the glinting is the Marc Quinn sculpture in the background



then into the davies exploration house
and some old favourites!
more fluff!






closer in on the fluff!



and my other favourites!






then it was off to the Princess of Wales (we saw the crowds outside the waterlily house on our way past and decided to give it a miss, plus it had got hot so we forwent the heat in there!
this agave has flowered - it's been coming a while (and blogger has reversed the order I wanted to show them in) 

this is as they start to open


they are at the top of a tall spike out of the middle of the plant





there weren't many flowers on any of the cacti today just this one
waterlily about to flower - it is one of the new variety discovered a couple of years ago - it will flower overnight probably when it does 
something else coming a bit further round
and a fern 
it was really hot and humid in the POW today so we didn't stay long

we did got and check the orchid rooms
where the artist was working again
before escaping into the relative cool outdoors

wild carrot between the POW and alpine house












as we went round to the evolution garden, the gates to the student plots were open for the first time in weeks,


sunflower time!





love the new emerging flowers, the spiky growth is gorgeous



none of the students seem to have grown the darker varieties this year 



ok I'll stop now




then into the evolution garden itself 
sun shining through the flower stems










loving the purple and yellow together 
heading up the other side of the evolution garden


this sunflower seems to be conjoined with a twin - they weren't just adjacent flowers 

agapanthas
some beautiful apricot coloured roses


and that is where I stopped!

thanks for looking hope you enjoyed the colour today.


it was home for the Olympics - not much else might get done for the next couple of weeks! 
but it will be back to Kew next Saturday!