A visit to the Kew Gardens in London

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are 250 years old, but there’s plenty here for the modern outdoor adventurer. You can still wander the old Victorian Palm House and indulge in a little old-fashioned promenading like someone in a BBC costume drama, but these gardens – originally developed in the back yard of the royal palace favoured most by George III – are one of two national bases for research and education into botanical studies. So while you’re seeking out the luscious flora (including the giant, stinking Titan Arum in the Princess of Wales Conservatory) there are scientists beavering away in labs and offices, out of sight.

The stunning glasshouses are favourite strolling spots within the grounds, featuring some impressive Victorian structures – including the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse, known as Temperate House – and some lovely later additions. Inside each of them the climate is maintained to nurture everything from the world’s largest water lilies to delicate Alpine flowers to tropical blooms.

Those with an adventurous streak, and a head for heights, should climb up to the Tree Top Walkway, which stands at 18 metres tall and winds it’s way through, well, the tree tops. Once you’ve come back to earth, stroll down to the Chinese Pagoda, which was built in 1762 and towers over the southern end of the Gardens.

Given the exceptional upkeep and wide variety of fauna, you’re sure to be inspired. And if the green stuff is doing the trick, try seeking out the sculptures, which feature Henry Moore’s ‘Reclining Mother and Child’ in a stunning setting that changes with the light of each season.

There’s plenty to do at Kew. In fact, the art alone could take up your entire visit – see the Eduardo Paolozzi sculpture A Maximis Ad Minima and visit the Marianne North Gallery and the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, all included in the main entry price.

Whenever you visit Kew Gardens, there’s something in bloom. The website has a dedicated what to see this week section, so even in autumn or winter, you can be assured you won’t just see a lot of old twigs.

Temperate house

Travel the world in this truly impressive cathedral of plants – home to 1,200 species from Asia, Australasia, the Americas, and Africa.

Following a major five-year renovation process, the Grade 1 listed Temperate House re-opened in 2018 to showcase the splendour of the world’s temperate flora.

As tender plants, most of the species grown in the Temperate House are unable to tolerate temperatures below freezing with a preferred minimum temperature kept at around 10 degrees Celsius through the UK’s cold winters.

 Note
The Temperate House was voted ''Best UK National Treasure'' at the 2018 National Geographic Traveller Magazine Reader Awards. 

The Temperate House tells the story of how Kew and our global partners are working to rescue plants that are rare or already extinct in the wild. The glasshouse holds significant collections of threatened island flora from some of the earth’s most remote locations like the Island of Saint Helena, the Pitcairn Islands and Juan Fernández Islands.

Filled with roughly 3000 individual plants, this vast collection may help us find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, from climate change to loss of biodiversity or food security.

Enriched by over 260 years of plant expertise, the Temperate House is an iconic landmark and a showcase of contemporary horticultural conservation.

Hive

The Hive is a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees. A feat of British engineering, it stands 17 metres tall, set in a wildflower meadow. Here you can consider the complex relationship between plants and their pollinators.

More to see

During all year, the Kew offers a lot of exhibition about plants and flowers but not only. If you plan to visit the garden over the Christmas period, Christmas at Kew is the most popular and British event you can attend. Very spectacular and touchy.