AboutOrchids

Kew Gardens is the heart of the botanical world.  It’s one of the oldest, largest, and most important botanical gardens, and it maintains the largest collection of living plants on earth. Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s also one of London’s top tourist attractions. And, of course, it has lots of great orchids. Dave and I visited Kew Gardens at the end of June, and were astonished by all its botanical beauty. I’m just starting to sort through our photos. Here are my first orchid shots from Kew Gardens.

We found lots of orchids in Kew’s remarkable Princess of Wales Conservatory, and a few more in the majestic Palm House. The Princess of Wales Conservatory has zones for both tropical and temperate growers. The blooming orchids feature rare species, including some which Kew has brought back from the brink of extinction.

Dating to 1759, Kew covers 300 acres (121 hectares) with gardens, glasshouses, statues, and historic buildings, including the royal Kew Palace. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has been at the forefront of plant conservation and research for more than two centuries. It maintains one of the largest botanical libraries, and one of the largest collections of dried plant specimens, in the world. Continuing an effort begun by Charles Darwin to register all plant names, Kew publishes the International Plant Names Index, as well as the Plant List. There’s so much more to this incredible institution — check back soon to see more pictures from Kew.

Explore posts in the same categories: Botanical Gardens, Photos

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2015 at 5:00 am and is filed under Botanical Gardens, Photos.

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