The Palm House.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: A Royal Jewel
Have you ever regretted not taking the time to spoil yourself?
About a year ago, after a gap of more than 10 years, I returned to the Kew Gardens and was immediately filled with both delight and regret. Delight because Kew has absolutely spectacular gardens, it’s easy-peasy to reach from Central London, and great value for money! Regret because I hadn’t visited Kew more regularly.
I vowed not to wait another 10 years to spoil myself with a visit to Kew Gardens. I am happy to report that I’ve been back to Kew four times since my first ‘reunion’ visit last year.
What’s Kewl at Kew?
Kew Gardens is a 121-hectare (300 acres) botanical garden in Richmond, a 30-minute tube ride from Central London. Formally started in 1759, Kew is now a World Heritage Site.
Kew boasts the Palm House, the Treetop Walkway, the Great Broad Walk Borders, the Princess of Wales Conservatory, the Hive, and the newly renovated Temperate House. (Deep breath.) There is also the Arboretum, the Davies Alpine House, the Japanese Garden, the Great Pagoda, and the Mediterranean Garden. Whew!
If these attractions weren’t enough to entice you, Kew Gardens also offers educational classes covering topics from photography and painting to garden design and plant identification. OK, the last one may only appeal to horticultural nerds like me! In short, there’s a lot to see and experience and each season brings its own beauty to Kew.
What many people don’t know, however, is that Kew is also one of the world’s most renowned scientific research organisations for plants and fungi. Now don’t go all ewww on me! Fungi, along with plants, water, and oxygen, are necessary for life as we know it here on the blue planet.
Kew Science comprises extensive collections (more than 8.5 million specimens), databases, scientific expertise, and global partnerships, which enable it to play a leading role in facilitating access to fundamental plant and fungal information.
The Big-Six Attractions
To be honest, it’s taken me way too long to finish this article. There’s so much to see and do at Kew Gardens that I couldn’t properly review it all in a single article. So I decided to focus the article on a handful of main attractions. So without further delay, here are my choices for the big-six attractions at Kew Gardens.
The Palm House
The iconic Palm House sustains a rainforest climate and while there are lots of palms, it contains many other beautiful plants as well.
The Palm House and Parterre.
Musa aff. Manni (wild banana).
Pleiocarpa mutica (kanwene).
Costus comosus (Red tower ginger).
Treetop Walkway
The 18-metre high (60 feet) Treetop Walkway provides breathtaking views of Kew Gardens and an opportunity to step back from the plants and see the bigger picture. Moreover, it’s a great break for children who may tire easily of looking at plants.
Treetop Walkway.
The view of the Temperate House from the Treetop Walkway.
The Broad Walk Borders
The colourful Broad Walk Borders contain an amazing variety of plants throughout the summer months. In fact, it’s planted with more than 30,000 plants and 13,000 bulbs.
The Great Broad Walk Borders.
The Great Broad Walk Borders.
Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (white coneflower).
Achillea filipenduliana ‘Gold Plate’ (fern-leaf yarrow).
Euphorbia donii ‘Amjillasa’ (Euphorbia longifolia ‘Amjillasa’).
Anemone japonica ‘Rosenschale’ (Japanese anemone ‘Rosenschale’).
Centaurea montana ‘Sulphurea’ (mountain cornflower).
Princess of Wales Conservatory
There are ten different climate zones in the extensive Princess of Wales Conservatory. Cacti, orchids, and carnivorous plants are just some of the plant types that you’ll discover.
Princess of Wales Conservatory.
Ceratotheca triloba (African foxglove).
Callistemon comboynensis (cliff bottlebrush).
Victoria amazonica (Amazon waterlily).
Agave tequilana (blue agave or tequila agave.
Echinocactus grusonii (golden barrel cactus).
The Hive
The Hive is a special installation celebrating the bee. Situated in a wildflower meadow, it is 17 metres tall (56 feet) and it’s quite a buzz to stand in the inside of the installation and look up and out.
The Hive.
The interior of the Hive.
The Temperate House
The Temperate House, the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, recently reopened following a five-year renovation. It is the diamond of Kew Gardens and a must-see attraction.
The Temperate House.
The entrance to the Temperate House.
The interior of the Temperate House.
Water feature in the Temperate House.
Dicksonia Antarctica (Australian tree fern).
Liberty ixiodes (Mikoikoi or New Zealand iris).
Kew Gardens is one of my all-time favourite botanical gardens! So spoil yourself and spend a day there soon.
PLAN A VISIT
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond TW9 3AE
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8332 5655
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Opening Hours:
Open daily, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (summer hours)
Online Ticket Fees: (slightly cheaper than at the gates):
Non-members:
Adults £17.75 (£18.75 at the gates)
Children (4 to 16) £4.00 (£5.00 at the gates)
Children under 4: free
Seniors (60+): £15.50 (£16.50 at the gates)
Members of Friends of Kew: free (annual membership from £69.00 / year)
Getting There:
Public transport is the easiest way to get to Kew:
By tube: Kew Gardens station (500m to Victoria Gate)
By train: Kew Bridge station (800m to Elizabeth Gate)
By bus: 65 stops at Victoria and Lion Gate
Free disabled access parking (for blue badge holders) at Kew’s car park on Ferry Lane, TW9 3AF. Google Maps
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