RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2015

This year marks the 25 anniversary of the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show.  I was curious about what this garden show would be like after seeing the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this year, and wasn't sure what to expect.  I found that it was every bit as impressive, just in different ways.  

First, this show is held on the grounds of Hampton Court -- King Henry VIII royal palace in Richmond upon Thames, outer London -- so the grounds are enormous and so there is no need to limit the crowds. Second, at this show you can actually buy plants that you see and take them home with you at the end of the day.  As such,  nurseries create gorgeous displays showing how beautifully paired certain plant combination can be.  Then, if you like the combinations you see, you can buy plants from that grouping, bring them home and recreate the look in your own garden.

I thought the  Chelsea emphasized the best in professional garden design whereas the Hampton Court Show was more of an encouragement for the everyday gardener.  At Chelsea, I was wowed by what the professional could do, at Hampton I was wowed with what was possible for anyone to do in their own garden.  Both have inspired me to spend more time creating something beautiful in my own small patch of grounds. 

Hampton Court Palace

 I loved the exhibit Greening up Grey Britain.  There were such great ideas on how to garden when you have little space.  Turning the space above the garbage bins into a place to grow lettuce and strawberries is brilliant.

 Garden of Paradise from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 

  World Show Gardens: This one is from Sri Lanka

 Squire's Garden Centres: Urban Oasis 

The Rose Pavilion

 Crossing the Long Water in from of the Palace

 The Floral Marquee

Self Portrait 

Amnesty International Magna Carta Garden marks the 800 years since the signing of the Magna Carta.  

This "Tea Party Garden" celebrates the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

Botanical World Discoveries: Winnie the Pooh Begins His Journey celebrates that 90 years ago Winnie the Pooh made his first public appearance in published form. 

We come from the earth.

We return to the earth.

And in between we garden.

~Author Unknown

Kew Gardens in the Spring

I finally had a chance to visit Kew Gardens and see it in it's spring glory.  Kew Gardens is a spectacular garden about 10 miles upriver from London.   It is also the world's largest collection of living plants. Founded in 1840 from the exotic garden at Kew Park its living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants and the herbarium has over seven million preserved plant specimens. In other words, it is big, beautiful and very impressive.

It is one of London's top tourist attractions, and as of 2003, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

I spent the day at Kew with dear friends Cindy and Dave, visiting from Minnesota,  USA

The history of these gardens go back as far as 1299 when Edward I moved his court to a manor house in nearby Richmond. Henry V built Sheen Palace in 1501, which, under the name Richmond Palace, became a permanent royal residence for Henry VII. 

The Great Pagoda was designed by Sir William Cambers erected in 1762. It has 10 levels and from the base to the highest point is 163 feet (50 m).

The Queen's Beasts are ten statues of animals bearing shields standing in front of the Palm House.

The tulips where in full bloom and simply stunning!  

The Palm House was built by architect Decimus Burton and iron-maker Richard Turner between 1844 and 1848. It was the first large-scale structural use of wrought iron  and is considered "the world's most important surviving Victorian glass and iron structure."  The structure's panes of glass are all hand-blown.

There are two spiral staircases inside that lead to a walkway where you can look down from the canopy of the palm trees and tropical trees.  

Kew Gardens has its own police force,  Kew Constabulary, which has been in operation since 1847.

The treetop walkway opened in 2008.  It is 59 feet high (18 m) and 200  660 feet long (200 m) and allows visitors to walk among the tree canopy of the woodland glade.   

The cherry trees were magnificent in full bloom!

Special plaster casts were made of this tree so it could be reproduced as the "Whomping Willow" in the Harry Potter movies.  

 The Azaleas and Rhododendrons where just starting to bloom.

For more information on Kew Gardens:  

http://www.kew.org/

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/58711-royal-botanic-gardens-kew

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kew_Gardens