It may sound like I'm jet setting off all over the place now that my course has finished but I have been treated to a few niceties to celebrate being a fully qualified garden designer and a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew was just what was needed!  I've been before many years ago and remembered how much I enjoyed it and the inspiration I got from the different areas within the gardens.  We spent a whole day there and for me that wasn't enough time, I think we were one of the last through the gates as they were closing at 6.30pm!

We entered through the main gate as there are a few different entrances and passed Kew Palace which was once the family home of George III, it had a formal garden at the rear and a flower and vegetable garden to the side.  Parterres and Knot Gardens have their place and whilst they aren't a favourite of mine I do appreciate them and the history of them.  I particularly liked this combination for contrast of both form and colour.

We walked through the Magnolia garden, it was nice to see some still in flower, then the Azalea garden and on to the Bamboo garden where there we so many different specimens to look at. Most of them had their roots contained so they didn't run which I'm sure you'll agree is a downside to bamboos but they can really add an extra dimension to your garden from a textural difference to adding movement and sound as the wind whistles through.   We continued walking on up to the main viewpoint and what a view indeed, one side out across open land and then down back through Kew to the Pagoda known as the Cedar Vista and then back where we had walked from down the Syon Vista you can see the Palm House - all very impressive and very well planned.

We strayed off the main walkway through the badger sett which had lots of signs explaining what they were trying to achieve in the area and signs for children too to get them engaged.  The Bluebell area was next but July is the wrong time of the year to see them, still it was nice stroll through the woodland area.  We stopped off at the Waterlily Pond for a sit down. It was very relaxing and peaceful sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree until we heard a rustle and there to the side of us was.... a little fox out in the open, in the middle of the day! Amazed, we tried to take a photo but he ran off back into the wooded area so all we got was a blurry furry fox!

We decided it was time for lunch so we headed towards the Pavillion Restaurant through the Pinetum and Redwood Grove to see  some of the tallest trees in Kew, although in Yosemite National Park is where you'll find the tallest Redwoods in the world!

Next stop after a lovely lunch under the shade of vines we took a walk though the Temperate House which is just amazing to see so many different plants from different countries that just can't grow in our climate.  We were in there for at least an hour it was great, the staff just carried on working around us and were happy to answer any questions while hosing down the plants keeping it humid. The Chilean wine palm is in the centre of the glasshouse and is the tallest indoor plant in the world reaching up to 16 metres!  Evolution house is great, it shows you how life on earth started all those billions of years ago from larva pools right through to a developed eco-system - great for kids and adults alike.  Then we went onto the Mediterranean Garden where there are a few almost like show gardens or areas where different themes are used to show the planting and hard landscaping for different regions.

The Palm House was next which is like walking through tropical rainforests and then on to the Waterlily House where there are the most amazing waterlillies that I think I've ever seen from the more traditional type through to huge saucers almost a metre wide!

By now our feet are really starting to hurt so it's time for a sit down and look at the map to find that there is still so much to be seen, we make a decision to go to the woodland garden and 'Order' beds and then see what the time is!  Feeling a bit refreshed for our rest we went to the woodland garden which was, as you would expect, really cool with a wide range of plants that really thrive in these conditions showing that even your most shadiest of corners can look attractive if the right plants are used.  We managed to fit in the Duke's Garden which had some gorgeous planting: tall Verbascum combined with Verbena bonariensis, Foxgloves and lower planting included Salvias and Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' which gave a nice edge to the border. Finally we went to the 'Order' beds which are a unique feature at botanical gardens and it is where the beds are in the order of the plant families. It is so interesting to actually see these plants grouped together - it helps you get more of an understanding of the plant families seeing the similar characteristics.  There is a lot of new development in the botanical world in the last few years where tests using plant DNA have uncovered the fact that some plants have been wrongly categorised for years, so the order beds have had to be re-ordered and work is still underway in this area.  To find out more about this subject click here.

That was our day at Kew - it was nearly 6.30pm and as we looked up we realised there were no other people around so we made our way back to the main entrance gates not wanting to be locked in over night...although I could think of worse places to be stranded!  On our way we heard rustling from a lidded bin and then suddenly a grey squirrel burst out of it with an apple core in his mouth!  I think we suprised each other but after a couple of seconds' stand-off he ran off and up into a tree with his feast!  We probably only managed to see about a two thirds of the gardens!  A really good day spent at Kew Gardens albeit totally shattered and with sore feet, it was time to have some dinner and get in the car and start on our journey back to Coventry after the London rush hour traffic.

I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area, for more information on Kew visit their site here.