I blogged a few weeks ago about the petite charms of Kew's Waterlily House (and its not-so-petite waterlilies), and today I'd like to share some snaps from my summer visits to the Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory.
The Palm House is a riot of green all year round, but it's particularly lush in the summer when the elegant white structure becomes almost overgrown with leafy goodness.
I particularly loved the giant bamboo...
...and whatever this is (so weird, so cool).
If you struggle with hot, humid environments I'd recommending visiting the Palm House on a cool day during the summer months - or making it the first stop on your tour of Kew before it warms up for the day.
You'll definitely want to have the energy to climb the spiral stairs up to the viewing gallery, if you can. From here you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the plants as well as an unobstructed view of the Palm House's magnificent roof. If you're not too distracted by those two things, you can also look out the windows and into the grounds for some great views of the gardens.
Click here to read more about the Palm House and to see lots more photos I took when I visited Kew in the spring.
I think it would be very hard not to be charmed by the Palm House, but you may well also fall in love with the Princess of Wales Conservatory - it has ten different climate zones, so many different types of fascinating plants, and is generally pretty awesome (even when it's not filled with orchids).
In the summer the Conservatory's main pond is filled with giant waterlilies and other leafy lushness.
I just cannot get enough of those giant waterlilies, they're so amazing!
Talking of leafy lushness (smooth segue, huh?), Kew's Treetop Walkway is also rather fabulous in the summer.
I mean, if I'm honest, it's fabulous all year round (getting up high and walking through the treetops is gonna be cool whatever the season) but it was wonderful walking among all the leafy branches and seeing how gorgeously green everything was.
The Treetop Walkway is a delightful cross between a gentle stroll through the woods and some adventurous tree climbing, with a bit of forest bathing thrown in - I love it.
I'll share a few more pics from my summer visits to Kew sometime soon! In the meantime you can catch up with all my previous posts, here.
Click here to browse my entire archive of travel posts.
One of the most exciting moments in my childhood exploration of the world via a geography atlas was when I saw a picture of giant waterlilies :) And the treetop walkway gives people one unique opportunity to walk among the trees high in the air. I checked the Internet and there are some very interesting similar constructions out there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these pictures - makes me want to go back. Also, I've been looking for some fabric which is exactly like your first photo!
ReplyDeletebairozan - Giant waterlilies are such awesome things, aren't they? Even when you see them in a pond right in front of you they almost don't seem real.
ReplyDeleteVPlum - Sharing these pics is making me want to go back, too! :) I do miss living near London. Best of luck with your fabric search, there seem to be quite a few palm frond fabrics around at the moment but it's always tricky finding exactly what you have in mind, isn't it?