Kew Gardens

Although the entrance is about £13.50 (children enjoy the free entrance), it is worth every penny! The Kew Gardens are picnic friendly, so it worth spending a whole day here. Winter or summer, there is always something going on. You can check the web site in advance to find out which particular flowers are in the bloom at the moment, or just come and explore.

I just love visiting the Kew Gardens. Some of my favorite things there are:

The Chinese pagoda, which is 50 meters tall. It was originally built in 1762.It is very colorful and has dragons on the roof.

The Xstrata Treetop Walkway, which opened in 2008 (I was there on the opening day!). The walkway’s structure is based on a Fibonacci numerical sequence, which is often present in nature’s growth patterns. It is 18m high and 200m long and the vistas are grand. You can walk past the treetops, which are all named, so you can learn a thing or two. Watch out! There 118 steps and the lift is not working.

The Rhizotron (derives from the Greek rhiza, which means ‘root’) is a great way to explore how the trees live. How they get the water, how the leaves breathes (apparently, leaves have breathing pores shaped like lips), how insects circulate inside are but a few of the information that you can get.

Temperate House, which is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world, covering 4,880 square meters and extending to 19 meters high.

Palm house, which was built in Victorian times to accommodate the collection of the palm trees. It is one of the most important surviving glass and iron structures of that period. I love palm trees!

Princess of Wales Conservatory hosts 10 climatic zones. There are vast amounts of cacti, orchids and other exotic plants. There is a plant which eats flies. Brrr!

So come and see for yourself! Go green! Go colorful!

www.kew.org
Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew, Richmond, Surrey,
TW9 3AB.

written by neja on 2010-08-11 #places #park #flora #flowers #trees #green #spring #landmark #plants #location #royal #london #uk #botanic-gardens #travel-destination #kew-gardens