Kew

Once again, I haven't really got around to doing anything in the garden over the past week due to the abysmal weather (although thankfully not as abysmal as the week before!), so I thought I would show you some pictures of our trip to Kew from 2007. Sadly the camera didn't fare to well - I think it was a very warm day, so the glasshouses were quite hot and humid, and steamed up the camera lens :( Still, I managed to get some half decent photos, although I'm really dissapointed that none of my tropical water lily photos came out well, as they're some of my favourite plants! Oh well, that just gives me an excuse to go again this year lol! I've got the next week off though, so fingers crossed the weather's not too bad so as I can get out in the garden! I'm hoping to start moving some of the less interesing plants to make room for more tropical this year, and also to get the greenhouse tidied before the Spring rush! Hopefully I'll be able to report that something productive has been done over the week by next weekend.

OK Well I'll start with a few outdoor pics - here's a picture of the Sarracenia's that were planted outside the Princess of Wales Conservatory. I have several Sarracenias outside at the moment (three out of four), and they're all looking extremely good considering the bad weather we've been having. I was so surprised when I found out that there are several types of Sarracenia that are hardy and can be left outside year round, although I don't think they did that with their at Kew, as many of theirs seem to be the types that need to be kept just frost free, although again that is very little care for such an unusual/exotic plant! The soil in this bed looks very dry though which surprises me as Sarracenia usually like to be sitting in boggy conditions, but they seemed to be doing well enough;

And here's a couple of hardy water lily flowers - they had a large outdoor pond filled with these and it was quite a sight, even if the individual flowers aren't as intricate as the tropical water lilies;

And now a few pictures from inside the Alpine House. It is an ironically large building for such teensy plants, but nonetheless seems to be providing the ideal conditions as they were all thriving! One that caught my eye was this furry guy;

And although at the time I had absolutely no idea what they are, I now know that these are a couple of Roscoea, and very nice ones at that;

And now a few pictures from the Princess of Wales Conservatory [I think!]. Here we have a Euryale Ferox [again, I think!], my second favourite giant water lily, to one of the Victoria Hybrids, although quite hard to get hold of and grow sucessfully so I've heard;

And here we have a flower of the Nelumbo (Lotus). This was the only flower out at the time and I had to zoom in quite a bit, hence the picture quality, but on our holiday to Italy last year, there were extremely healthy clumps of Nelumbo growing in several of the pools at La Mortella, with absolutely gigantic leaves! Wonderful plants when given heat and sun;

Here is a Giant Victoria Lily hybrid in the Waterlily House. I think despite its small size, this has to be my favourite glasshouse at Kew because it looks so beautiful and magnificent with the huge pads of the waterlily surrounded by the dainty flowers of other tropical lilies, and then a vigorous Ipomoea twining its way around the sides of the pool, and lush exotic planting in the borders on the other side of the path. Beautiful!

And finally, we have an assortment of images from the Palm and Temperate houses (I can't remember which pictures were from which!). An unusual ginger flower;

A stunning Hibiscus;

A Brugmansia, apparently wilting in the heat! It seems ages since we've had any heat significant enough to make a plant wilt lol!

A Cobaea Scandens - this was working its way intrically up the staircase in one of the glasshouses. It looked absolutely stunning with its flowers dripping off the hand rails and so naturalistic! I'm hoping to grow both the purple and white versions (var. Alba) this year up a wall, although I doubt they'll be flowering as prolifically as those in the glasshouse;

A general view from the upper walkways in one of the glasshouses, showing the extremely lush and vigorous plants. They also had some tree fe rns in one of the greenhouse with the most magnificently sized fronds ever, but the pictures of those aren't worth seeing! Fingers crossed we can go back some time this year so I can take some better ones;

Last of all, not taken in Kew, but in someones garden just outside Kew! This gorgeous Gladioli was standing proud all on its own, but it had som e wonderful colouration. I've never had much sucess with Gladioli but I've bought some more bulbs to give another go this year, fingers crossed they may finally bloom for me!!!