Hi Everyone
This is a collection of footage and photographs I took 2 weeks ago while staying in London for a week.
This was my first time visiting Kew Gardens and it was quite an experiance.
Founded in 1840 Kew is home to the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world.
While wandering the 330 acre landscape I took over 500 photographs over the course of 6 hours and still didn't see all this garden has to offer. I hope to return in the Autumn when the tress have their fall colours on display to see what I missed on this first visit.
Today we will take a look at some of the highlights of this first visit.
We start our day by arriving at the Kew Gardens tube station.
This is a pub close to the Kew tube station.Unfortuntetly I didnt have time to visit it this time but I will make a point of checking it out on my next visit.
As we walk towards the entrance to the gardens I snapped this shot of my father passing by The Kew Greenhouse coffeshop.
In a house garden close to the entrance of Kew Gardens I saw this rose in full bloom and had to snap a picture.
These shots are from the entrance to the gardens.
As we walk past the main entrance the first thing to catch my attention is this tower and its reflection on the lake.
The fountain in the middle of the lake also makes for some good compositions.
The wildlife around the lake also made for some good photographs.
Lets head into the palm house.
Its a tropical jungle in here...
We find some beautifully coloured exotic flowers...
My camera lens kept steaming up due to the humidity , I had to clean it before every photograph.
This wonderfully old looking spiral staircase leads us up to the roof...
From up here we can see over this little jungle.
You have to love the detailing on the old Victorian era metal work.
Ok lets head out and wander over to the Cherry Blossom garden.
This part of the garden made me glad I came here in Spring time. I am most interested to see the gardens in each of its seasons ,spring time here is especially magical.
As we come out of the Cherry Blossom garden we find this building.
These shots are taken around this area, this tree looks like it has an eye...
Some beautiful yellow pine cones.
Heading passed these exotic trees...
We find a path that leads towards the temperate house.
The grass outside the temperate house is covered in Tulip's and bluebells.
Kew Gardens is located very close to Heathrow airport , there are planes flying over the gardens on a pretty regular basis. This shot is taken outside the entrance to the temperate house.
Inside we find many colourful flowers...
A golden lotus banana which is sacred to Buddhists...I would love to try a banana from this little tree.
A wonderful little water feature which people have thrown coins in for good luck from the fairys of the temperate house...
A magnificent Chilean White Palm.
A collection of beautifully coloured exotic plants inside the temperate house.
This might be the most uniquely beautiful flower I found in the whole garden.
The waterfall in the temperate house is well worth checking out.
Lets head out of the temperate house and towards the Chinese Pagoda and Japanese Garden
The "Great Pagoda" was finished in 1762 as a gift to Princess Augusta who was the founder of Kew Gardens.
The Pagoda was built by Sir William Chambers, who had spent time travelling and studying the architecture of East Asia. It offered one of the earliest birds eye views over London.
After an extensive restoration project it is now possible to climb to the very top. On this particular visit I declined checking out the view as it costs £4.50 but on my next visit I will pay to climb it.
The Dragons that currently adorn the tower were added in the restoration project in 2018.
These dragons were 3D printed. It is said the original dragons that adorned the Pagoda were sold in 1784 to pay one of King Georges gambling debts.
A short walk from the Great Pagoda we find this beautiful Japanese Garden.
Japan’s mountain regions are represented by stones and rock outcrops, interplanted with shrubs.The landscape was designed by Professor Fukuhara of Osaka University in 1996.
Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger) is a 4/5th scale replica of the Gate of Nishi Hongan-ji (Western Temple of the Original Vow) in Kyoto, Japan.
Created for the Japan-British Exhibition held at White City in London in 1910, the Japanese Gateway is built in the architectural style of the late-16th century Momoyama period.
Dragons and other mythical beast's adorn the gateway.
A beautiful sculpture of a crane adorns the front of this beautiful building.
In the Garden of Activity, a slope symbolises elements of the natural world like waterfalls, mountains and the sea while raked gravel and large rocks represent the movement of water flowing and tumbling.
This peacock is at peace in some wonderful surroundings.
These shots are from inside the bonsai house.
This Japanese Maple Bonsai is the largest in Kew Gardens collection. It is originally from Kyuka-en nursery in Omiya Japan.
Perhaps collected from the wild it is over 100 years old. It has been cultivated in a pot for 50 years
This Cyprus cedar has be styled using a slanted trunk and grown on an artificial slab. When grown on slabs the sun and atmosphere have a self pruning effect on the roots. This evergreen Bonsai is estimated to be 45+ years old
This one is a Japanese Black pine , it didnt have any more information about its age or origin.
This is another beautiful maple that doesn't have any other info about it.Its autumnal colour is strikingly beautiful.
This Japanese Cork Bark Maple ( Arakawa )was grown from seeds sent from Japan in 1967.
"Arakawa" is primarily grown for its unusual rough bark and beautiful autumn colour.
This is a Scots Pine Bonsai which is around 50 years old. It was originally collected from a Scottish peat bog.
This one dosent have much information , its speices is marked as Malus.The blossums on it are quite exquisite.
Another lovely autumnal coloured maple.
This Chinese Juniper was imported in 1968 from Lodder Bonsai nursery in Holland .It is estimated to be over 80 years old.
This last one is an Acer palmatum with some vibrant red leaves.
Lets take a stroll through the pine trees towards Queen Charlottes cottage...
These shots show Queen Charlotte's Cottage which is an 18th-century built in 1771. It is named after Queen Charlotte, who was responsible for its construction.
This is the entrance to the Marianna North botanic art gallery.Marianna was a prolific English Victorian biologist and botanical artist, notable for her plant and landscape paintings, her extensive foreign travels, her writings, her plant discoveries and the creation of her gallery here at Kew.
Unfortunately it is not allowed to take photographs inside the gallery but you can see what it looks like and can see Marianna's artwork on the Kew Gardens youtube channel.
This is a collection of shots I took in the rose garden.
These shots show the Princess of Wales conservation house cactus collection.
These shots show the Alpine gardens and its waterfalls...
This is a shot of a magpie enjoying the alpine gardens.
Some reflection shots in ponds near the alpine garden.
These last few shots are of "The Leaf Spirt" statue ,a remarkable work by Simon Gudgeon which blends beautiful with its surroundings.
I hope you guys have enjoyed this little tour of Kew Gardens. I plan to return sometime in October to see the areas of the garden I missed on this first visit and to see the incredible display of Autumnal colours.
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