A day in the sun at Kew Gardens

Giant waterlilies, manicured gardens, greenhouses to put almost any others to shame and a lizard to boot! Just a few of the incredible sights to see during a day out in Kew Gardens.

Kew Gardens had been on my must-see list for a long time. It was always too far away  (complete opposite side of London to me) and the weather was never guaranteed. Then I always wanted to wait for the best flowers to be in bloom. Finally I did it though, I made a packed lunch, got out the DSLR camera, sunhat and away I went!

It was a stunning sunny day and actually for once in London – not too many tourists! I could almost be fooled that I was in the countryside… if it wasn’t for the planes blasting overhead every few minutes as they went to land at the airport.

Truth be told, I don’t think you can really pick a bad time of year to visit Kew. It seems they have so many plants and flowers that something is always in bloom most of the year, I imagine.

The waterlily house was stunning, with gigantic waterlilies in a pond flowering. They certainly put the waterlilies in Hamilton Lake, NZ to shame! As I wandered around I couldn’t help but think how much my family would love visiting Kew if they ever come to London. My Mum would love the cactus plants and lizard I found in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. My Dad would have a ball of a time, wandering around all the different plants getting ideas for ones to grow and sell at his markets. One of my sisters would love the carefully cared for roses and the other would fall for the impatiens flowers. Then my nephews would have loved the barefoot walk through mud and other things!

The Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway did look a little bit high and despite it’s very solid construction, I still zipped through it quickly. For some reason, unless I’m jumping off high things with a parachute or rope they tend to make me nervous!

I wished I had come when the Azaleas, Magnolias and Rhododendrons were all in flower, they have such massive gardens – it would be incredible to see the blooms everywhere! Still it meant wide open green spaces for plenty of great picnic spots!

I hope I’ll return again to Kew at another time of year some day, the flowers and plants are just incredible and I can only imagine how fantastic they are at other times of year! If you’re getting bogged down with the hustle and bustle of London, Kew is a great spot to enjoy some green open space.