4 Main Things to do at Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens; the house of the big and small, wild and tame, African and Asian, and all the types of plants that you possibly can't imagine! I learnt so much in my weekend visit to Kew Gardens, and this short post is to share it with all those who are interested in plants and their shenanigans. 

Here it is, the eye of a commoner explores key attractions of Kew and what they have to offer you...

1. The Mighty Palm House

From the busy streets of London, I landed in this out-of-the-world glass house that felt like a furnace slowly evaporating every little drop of me. Walking around in the glass house, I felt like I was walking in the woods of the Amazonian rainforest. Every 15 minutes, the visitors are pleasantly surprised with the onset of inbuilt water sprinklers in the killing heat of the glass house - phew!

This rainforest-like living laboratory allows you to enter the lives of these exotic plants and observe the most fascinating ways in which they grow and interact. To top that, you can expect to find plants from the Americas, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, all showcased in this one house! 

Not only do you get to see this wide variety, you also get to interact with it. At every step of the house/At every turn of the walkway, you can see these informative boards that tell you the story of the plants, starting from their origin to their cultural history to their uses. 

And that's not it. At every corner, you'd find stands of various herbs, spices and plants, exhibiting different forms in which people use them. These stands also had a drawer with a small 'Smell-Box' that asks you to smell the smell of the plant.

Information Stand

Smell Box

             

            'Smell Me'

I smelled Chinese Keys, Black Pepper, Curry Leaves, Ginger, Vanilla, Nutmeg and Mace. What's on your plate? 

2. The Damp Waterlily House

Soon-to-be Waterlily

Giant Amazonian Waterlily

If the pictures didn't speak for themselves enough, I'd like to add a bit more.

Few Facts

• The Giant Amazonian Waterlilies in the pictures are not just used by frogs, birds and snakes to sit on. They can hold babies up to 2 years of age!
• These leaves are designed to support their huge size. Their ribs-like structure on the underside traps air for buoyancy and strength. They also have sharp spines underneath to deter hungry fish.           

• Santa Cruz waterlilies release heat so to enable beetles to locate them. 
• The flower of the giant Amazon waterlily can close totally holding the insects captive inside it for several hours, to make absolutely sure that pollination occurs.
• The underground stem of a Lotus is edible when fried, pickled or roasted. 

3. Treetop Walkway

Photo Credit: www.kew.org

This walkway is WOW! You're not just on top of the world, but you're on Top of the Trees. You get to be so close to the trees and experience how it'd feel to be taller than them. So up close and personal, that you can probably touch the topmost branches of some of the oldest trees.

118 steps to climb

    Did you know?         

    ● The world's biggest Pine Cone lives here!
    ● Tree roots are twice as wide as the tree is tall, but only a               metre deep.

4. When you are in Kew, Remember to:

Hold the tip of the Pagoda in your fingers

Sleep in the Woods

When its Bloomed up

Take a pic in Rose Garden

      

Eat the Giant Chilli

Snooze on the BigBoyBeanbag

And oh, ENJOY! 

#LaughingAnanas