Bank Holiday - and Kew. Of course. where did you think I'd go...

It started out chilly and dull.   It finished slightly less of both..  It felt really strange leaving "so much later" to arrive for the new opening time of 10 (from 9.30) - amazing what half an hour does.  Anyhow, there was quite a crowd waiting at the gates..  I wanted to check on the bluebells, so took the most direct route I could ..

 past beautiful blossoms,

 tall, fluffy cowslip type wild flowers ( not sure if they are cowlslip though...)

 pretty pink blossoms

 and the beautiful parterre outside the Palm House - the fabulous pink tulips, wide open, just gorgeous against the forget-me-nots

 white tulips with a flash of yellow, these are nearly finished already!

 male ducks chasing a lone female!!

 past the rhododendron dell

 not sure what these are, but they are beautiful, tall, blue flowers..

 great swathes of them..

into the bluebell wood, these pretty white flowers growing amongst them

the bluebells look so pretty against the bright almost acid green of the bursting leaves on the trees.
at least the sun was out - or trying to come out - casting dappled shade over the dell.

 close up of the pretty white flowers

 headed for the Treetop Walkway, past these gorgeous pink blossoms

 once again resisted the temptation to take the lift up to the top, but used the stairs, bit of aerobic exercise!

 interesting to see the renovation work going on at the Temperate House, which is behind hoardings now so you can't see what's happening from ground level.

 bit of an accident, this shot, the camera was trying to focus on I don't know what, but I quite like it so am including it!

 the horse chestnuts are bursting into life

and you get such a good view of the bright acid green of the trees from the top of the walkway

 back at ground level, I had to start deleting old photos from the memory card as it was full (I keep lots of them on the card after I down load them, just in case my computer goes wrong as I haven't backed it up still!)

 think this may be hawthorn.. looks like a shaggy dog anyhow!

last look at the pink blossom on the way home

Hope you enjoyed these, it'll be at least 3 weeks before I get back, as I am busy for both of the next two weekends... so much will have changed by then!

When it's Spring Again...

...I'll bring again,  Tulips from Amsterdam Kew , The forecast for today was sunny but with a keen cold wind... they weren't wrong there.. luckily most of the time I was at Kew I was sheltered from the wind.  So. tulips you say... I can oblige there. I took 150 photos today, so this will be a photo heavy post (not all of them though I promise!)

outside one of the eatery places!

 the Parterre outside the Palm House, looking splendid.. 2 weeks ago when I was here, there was barely a bloom out, certainly none of the tulips.  I got a bit carried away here... will let the beauty speak for itself..

 I was talking to a lady also taking photos here, and said how I'd love to take a shot from above.. no low-flying aircraft to hand,  but I did have an idea...







I went into the Palm House and up the stairs to the walk way round the top... the humidity misters were going full pelt so the windows had all misted up, but I wiped the water away.. not bad, not really what I hoped for, but not bad!

 back down on ground floor, this is a new feature for this year, all done in tulips and hyacinth again, had all bloomed since I was here 2 weeks ago. Hope you can read the info, it was easier to do this than try and remember it all!

beautiful!

 inside the Waterlily house, recently re-opened for the season (last time I was here) showing signs of new growth in the pond

 back outside, took these narcissus, planted in tubs along the Palm House Lake and on the steps outside the Palm House, looking beautiful against the sky (lots of crouching!)

Taken whilst I was climbing down the stairs in the Palm House, love the wrought iron staircase.

 palm trunk

 

 walking round the lake, snapped this robin - thank goodness for autofocus!! am thrilled with this, thought I'd missed him. (or her)

 magnolia still looking good

 flowering cherry, beautiful

 Walking through late narcissus, trying to find the fritillery, that Kew had put on their FB page, meant to be loads, but didn't find the right paths obviously!

 this branch was bare 2 weeks ago too

 laid full stretch on the grass for this one - good job it's been very dry!

 and outside the Princess of Wales glasshouse, more of the same tulips as the Palm House, but loved them against the shapes of the POW glass

 angles and repeating patterns

 bluebells

 weeds, but so pretty!

 more magnolia - nearly at the gate to go home now!













no idea what this one is, but it's a huge big shrub right by the entrance

knobbly trees, for a bit of relief from all the "frou frou".

and loved this Himalayan Birch.

wow, that was a marathon - hope you're still with me!