Kew: The World's Garden

[mikhurram]

Kew Botanical Gardens is a unique place where one the view the rarest collections of plants collected across the globe. Some varieties of palms displayed in the Palm House date back even to the 1750's. The Temperature House at Kew houses flora belonging to regions like Asia, South Africa, Mediterranean, Pacific islands etc. Some interesting ambitious projects are being undertaken at Kew Gardens like the Millenium Seed Bank in which the target is to collect 25% of the world's plants by 2020 as to ensure that there is a back up of rare endangered plants.

It's not merely the collection of plants or the grandeur of the place that catches your attention but a park consisting of landscapes of varying architectures like the serenity of a Zen Garden or a Chinese Pagoda to an idyllic Alpine Rock Gardens etc. Below are some photos taken during a visit in Autumn of 2011 which wasn't an ideal time of visit as the it marks the onset of the cold weather accompanied by occasional rain.

[mikhurram]

Part 2

[mikhurram]

Part 3

[mikhurram]

Chinese Pagoda and the Japanese Zen Garden

[Farhan Ahmed]

But amazingly KEW didn't make it 80 Top Gardens List by BBC. Maybe because of its botanical nature. I would love to visit it someday.

[mikhurram]

Surprisingly it was excluded in the list considering that Central Park in New York was on the list and it cannot be compared to the grandeur of Kew Gardens. Best time to visit would be around end of May or in June/July. It's also a fun place for families excursion with creative playgrounds for children and there's even a wonderful nursery near the cafeteria.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Golden memories Khurram i have this great garden tow times.I liked the palm house & the hight in the center is amazing.Once i sat on the grass to make a photo.The gardener came & said i am working here for past 15 years & i have never sat on this grass.What are doing this to my grass.So i was not able to take the picture.Its a great garden.I can not for get the rose plantations over there.Its like a dream garden is,t it Khurram.

[mikhurram]

It certainly is. At the time of my visit the rose season was over and winter was setting in. The British left a great legacy of parks, railways, irrigation canal system and educational institutes. Parks like Lawrence gardens could have been maintained in a better way. Other inspiring gardens on my wish list are the famous Peradeniya Botonic garden in Kandy created by the British. The presidential house of India formerly the Viceroy house have fabulous gardens designed by Lutyens. I have pictures of this garden based on a theme making use of Mughal & British gardens. Other gardens include the Kirstenbosch gardens at Cape Town and finally the Keukenhof garden at Lisse, Holland which I hope to visit in the future

[Farhan Ahmed]

My Dream Garden is ssinghurst. That is how i want my garden to be......

[Munir]

I,accompanied by my wife happened to visit the Kew Garden in 1995.We had heard about it a lot & was recommended by many friends,but honestly speaking it somehow fell short of our heightened expectations. In fact it looked neglected. I can't be specific as we don't remember the details, but it could probably be because Sep- Oct may be a low/dull period there or some repairs/renovation work was in progress or we went wrong in planning & properly going about it. We do remember walking through vast open spaces & visiting various covered/green houses containing plants, including one with palms, but all very humid; also the ancient tree shown here & the Cafetaria. Surprisingly we saw very few visitors & no shuttle bus service. We also don't remember having seen a Pagoda or the Zen Garden; either because they are later additions or were under renovation then, duly screened as per practice there.. If ever I visit London in future,I must see this Garden again,because it looks so beautiful in pics posted by Khurram Sb.