A Visit to Kew Gardens: A Botanical Haven

Created in 1759 by Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the mother of King George III, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in southwest London, on the banks of the Thames, are one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Since their creation, Kew Gardens - the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - have remained faithful to their original goal, with botanists collecting specimens and exchanging their knowledge on an international scale.

Approximately 30,000 plant species are grown there over 130 hectares, and a herbarium of more than seven million specimens is housed there.

There are about forty buildings in the gardens, including numerous greenhouses.
Notably the iconic Palm House, the first of its kind, and the Temperate House, the largest Victorian glasshouse still in existence in the world.
These two vast metal-framed, glass-paned greenhouses served as models for winter gardens across the globe.
Right next to the Palm House is the small, square Waterlily House, the second oldest of Kew's glasshouses, specifically designed to house the giant Amazon water lily.

Our visit in September focused on these three major greenhouses.

Palm House

Built in the 1840s, the Palm House is the oldest glasshouse at Kew Gardens. It recreates a tropical rainforest climate.
The Palm House was built to house the tropical plants brought back by the explorers of the time.
This large wrought-iron greenhouse is 110 m long and 30 m wide and houses lush vegetation (Sugar cane Saccharum officinarum, Coffee Coffea, Black pepper Piper nigrum, Cocoa Theobroma cacao...) which can be viewed from above by climbing the stunning spiral staircases.

Temperate House

The largest greenhouse in Kew Gardens, the Temperate House, built in 1863, is also the largest Victorian glasshouse still in existence in the world.

Twice the size of the Palm House, it is composed of five buildings: two wings are attached to the central greenhouse.

The greenhouse houses some of the rarest and most threatened plants in the world. It underwent a lengthy restoration and reopened its doors to the public in 2018.

Waterlily House

Completed in 1852, the Waterlily House is the second oldest greenhouse in Kew Gardens.

This small square greenhouse was designed to house the giant Amazon water lily Victoria amazonica. It contains a circular pond 10 meters in diameter.

A magical place.

Kew Gardens : Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
www.kew.org