Cast your mind back to when spring had sprung, England was in full bloom, your Instagram feed was filled with cherry blossom, and we rejoiced at the novel return of crisp, sunny, longer days... Spring is my favourite season, and one of my favourite days out in London - all year round (it's fun at Christmas) but especially in spring - is spending a few hours wandering around Kew Gardens on a bright, lovely day.
Kew Gardens has the largest collection of living plants in the world, and when we went - one late April weekend when my Dad was in town - the 300 acre gardens were a riot of colour, with vibrant greens and explosions of pink and purple blooms: giant rhododendron bushes, delicate blossoming trees, a carpet of violet-blue camassia, vibrant violets and multicoloured tulips.
We visited the iconic Victorian glasshouse and its rare species of tropical plants, palm trees and ferns, walked along the world's longest borders - made up of over 30,000 plants - wandered through the royal kitchen gardens by Kew Palace and experienced The Hive, the immersive new metal sculpture set in a wildflower meadow, echoing sounds of a beehive. If, like me, you have a thing for botanical art, the Marianne North Gallery will take your breath away: North was an extraordinary Victorian artist and biologist who travelled the world illustrating the plants she discovered - upon her return to the UK, she donated a large body of work to Kew Gardens and 833 of her brightly-coloured flowers, exotic plants and far-flung landscapes line the walls.
Much like the morning spent at Berlin Botanical Gardens in March, spending time surrounded by beautiful nature in the fresh air and sunshine is good for the soul and leaves me feeling inspired. Are you a fellow plant-lover? Where's your happy place in London?
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Much like the morning spent at Berlin Botanical Gardens in March, spending time surrounded by beautiful nature in the fresh air and sunshine is good for the soul and leaves me feeling inspired. Are you a fellow plant-lover? Where's your happy place in London?
