Last time we went to the Royal Botanical Gardens, I showed you tons and tons and tons of pictures, but I never really gave you the history of the place. Shame on me.
The Kew Gardens take up about 300 acres of land in southwest London. They are a combination of outdoor gardens and glasshouses {uh-mazing glass greenhouses}.
The whole of the gardens house the world’s largest collection of living plants. They are are more than 30,000 kinds of living plants. Be still my beating heart. And while it has amazing gardens, at it’s heart, it is dedicated to preserving and studying all horticulture. There’s about a million ways to experience it, from tours to classes.
They also host events throughout the year, depending on what is in season/bloom. It really is impressive. Right now the orchid festival is going on and it is freakin’ fantastic.
The first part of the gardens opened in 1759. The collection of plants kind of grew chaotically and without much planning at first–and over the years more land was added to the overall conservatory.
The MANY buildings, like Queen Charlotte’s Cottage and the Princess of Whales show the extensive royal influence over the development of the gardens.
The Orangery, originally designed to be a greenhouse, now functions as a cafe/restaurant. In it’s prime, it was the largest glasshouse in England. In true British fashion, it overlooks the perfectly landscaped grounds. The menu changes daily and time around we enjoyed tea and cupcakes.
And let’s not forget about the gift shop. There is everything from Burgon and Ball enamelware, garden books and tools plus a nice selection of potted plants both inside and outside the gift shop.
Hands down Kew Gardens is one of my favorite stops in England.
How about YOU? Do you have a favorite place in the world? What is it?
~Mavis
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Lisa says
I love Kew as well. But, my favorite place in the whole wide world has to be the western end of Puerto Rico. The Aguadilla area, Jobos beach and Isabela. I love PR. No passport. No changing money. Friendly people. Warm waters and sandy beaches that are nearly deserted. We actually had the beach near Isabela to ourselves on weekdays! Rain forests. Waterfalls. Horseback rides on the beach.
Dawn S says
My favorite place in the world is Bar Harbor, Maine! Sooo beautiful!
StacyS says
Mavis – you might be interested in reading (if you haven’t already) the book ‘The Signature of All Things’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is about a family of botanists in the eighteenth and nineteenth century and features Kew Gardens – it’s more interesting than I made it sound….check it out on amazon.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks!!
Madam Chow says
My favorite place? Maui.
rachel says
My favorite place in the world? It’s a tie between the north shore of Oahu and China/Hong Kong. They are both quite delightful.
Lilypad says
My favorite place in the world is Innsbruck, Austria. Gorgeous mountain scenery, fresh air, amazing food (Kaffee und Kuchen, coffee and cake every afternoon people!) and wonderfully friendly people. I haven’t been back in 15 years and I will cry my eyes out when I finally sit down by the River Inn again.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m ready to go back to London!
Chantal says
I traveled to England with my dad in 1996 for two weeks and we spent a whole day at Kew Gardens. We were there in July and the roses were amazing and it was such a fun day that we shared there. We still talk about that day and I am so thankful that we were able to take that trip together! I would love to go back there one day just to see the roses and shop in that fabulous gift store one more time! I absolutely love England – living in the South Puget Sound at least allows for being able to replicate their gardens Thanks for sharing your pictures 🙂