Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Kew Wednesdays, visiting the Temperate House


We stepped out of the heat of the Palm House and right into a rain shower. Instead of taking the circuitous route to the Temperate House I had planned we headed straight there, seeking shelter. Exploring the Mediterranean Garden located between the two would have to wait until later.

Here we have arrived on the steps of the Temperate House, and are looking back towards the Mediterranean Garden...

My excitement at exploring another glass house was quickly crushed however when I discovered the door was locked and this hung in the window...

Thankfully that only applied to this segment of the house…

The next door I tried opened and we stepped into Tree Fern (Dicksonia Antarctica, from Australia) heaven!

“The Temperate House is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world, covering 5,850 square yards (4,880 square metres) and extending to 63 feet (19 metres) high. Kew director Sir William Hooker commissioned Decimus Burton to begin work on the glasshouse in 1859. With voracious Victorian collectors bringing back ever more species from around the globe, Kew needed somewhere to house its growing collection of semi-hardy and temperate plants. The Temperate House was officially opened, unfinished, in 1863. Because costs had soared during construction, it was not completed for another four decades.” (source)

I've also read that the sheer size of the Temperate House has made it home to many plants that have outgrown other parts of the Kew Gardens.

Adenanthos sericeus (aka Woolly Bush, a member of the Proteaceae family).

This shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia is taunting me, I love it. I've seen it for sale few places in my southern U.S. travels but since it’s not hardy for me I've resisted buying it (so far). I want to hug it.

More “rangy” Australian plant beauty…

Banksia serrata…

A lovely Echium wildpretii, with questionable piece of “art” behind it.

Xanthorrhoea australis (Grass tree), reminds me of the tall one I saw at the SF Botanical Garden/Strybing Arboretum.

How clever is this?

No sprinkler needed, just poke your water wand through a handle and placement is easy.

Scadoxus multiflorus, I believe…

I’ve been tempted by many an Erica, these are certainly fine…

If I got my labels correct I think the large-leafed plant winding around under the marvelous Restio is a Leucospermum grandiflorum. If I’m wrong then that label belongs to the soft green leaves in the lower left hand corner of this picture and the above.

And I think that’s a Leucadendron argenteum (Silver Tree) in the middle of this photo, although sadly it’s very hard to see.

No label on this bright happy Leucadendron either.

Someday I hope visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in South Africa to see all of the Proteas, until then a visit to University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum would do just fine.

Crocosmia

Aeonium undulatum

And now I know where capers come from! Capparis spinosa…

Unfortunately the staircase that leads to a viewing platform above was closed.

Finally, on my fourth day in London I saw my first Agave! Agave toneliana, hmm, never heard of it.

But it’s a beauty! And that’s a nice way to end our visit to the Temperate House.

30 comments:

  1. I end up getting overloaded when walking through mature displays like this. There is so much packed in there, and not everything is labeled, that my brain gets tired trying to see everything. That's when I have to find a quiet bench, just sit, and soak in the "whole" instead of focusing on each plant.

    I love these large indoor gardens though!

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    1. That is a very smart way to tackle a place like this Alan. We try and always do that too.

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  2. What a fabulous place! I was in London a few years ago and I am positively KICKING myself that we didn't make it to Kew! Well, I guess I just have to go back, don't I?

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  3. Of all the glasshouses in Kew, the Temperate House is our favourite. Perhaps because the climate and type of plants there are the closest to what we can grow in our gardens. It'll be interesting to see how they get on with the conservation. Fingers crossed they get on soon and that this greenhouse won't be closed for long.

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    1. I can see why you would feel that way. The Princess of Wales Conservatory was pretty amazing but all over the place as far as the types of plants it had inside, this is more like a garden.

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  4. I want to hide out in there all Winter.

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    1. I bet you could! It's rather full and if you were sneaky about it they'd probably never find you.

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  5. I can not remember how much they say they need to carry out the conservation of the temperate house, it is a scary amount. Two years ago the heating failed and they brought in these huge jet shaped heaters to blast hot air around. It also happened to be the cold winter we had had in a long time. They lost a lot of plants but it is filling up again.

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    1. I can't even imagine how much money they must be trying to raise...what a daunting prospect!

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  6. Stunning! It's just like being there. This is a post I need to bookmark becauase, like Alan, I wasn't able to take it all in.

    Re: Agave toneliana. According to http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-294268, it's a synonym for (and generally known as) Furcraea parmentieri.

    And according to http://www.desertnorthwest.com/catalog/plants_succulents.html, Furcraea parmentieri is hardy to 18-22°F.

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    1. I know I was a little overwhelmed too, I know my post kind of darted around because that's what I was doing there as well, and couldn't really get a sense of how it was all laid out.

      I looked up Agave toneliana and found that same link that you did, then I did a little further research on Furcraea parmentieri and everything that I saw looked so different from that Agave that I was having a very hard time believing it. Maybe Ian (are you reading this Ian?) from the Desert NW will weigh in on the matter.

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  7. So cool! The protea, restio, spiral staircase, grass trees, Scadoxus multiflorus...I love them all. It would be great to live in this place but then one wouldn't be able to throw stones, right?

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    1. And we do love to throw a few stones don't we? At least metaphorically speaking.

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  8. Glory! I love those tree ferns and all that happiness, you photographed it much better than I did. Thanks for the lovely foliage happiness

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    1. You are oh so welcome. There was so much to see and enjoy I feel like I could go back right now and discover so many more treasures.

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  9. I imagine dinosaurs coming out of these plants. What a gorgeous grouping of plants in that house/garden. I've always wanted something like this attached to my house. Everyday would be magical:)

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    1. Haha, I wonder if they've done that? Had a dino exhibit. It seems like every park, zoo, garden here in the U.S. has.

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  10. Ha...the makeshift sprinkler is awesome...necessity is indeed the mother of invention!

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    1. I totally want to try that here in my garden, of course looking at the forecast that won't be unnecessary until next July.

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  11. Wow - what a great tour! I had no idea about the capers. Now I want one of those plants!

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    1. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that someone once told me capers came from the sea and I was dumb enough to believe them.

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  12. I fell in love with a beautiful blue Cupressus cashmeriana in that house. I have not seen her since.

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    1. Someday you two are bound to be reunited.

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  13. ::sigh:: all the blogs I read seem to be visiting Kew these days...so jealous! Looks like a blast, I think you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming from that place...

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    1. As it was getting very near closing I was still wandering around in a bit of the garden with it all to myself. I got to thinking...how do they make sure everyone is out before they close up for the day?

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  14. never seen capers!!..that spiral stairs gorgeous...

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    1. Oh to have a double height glass house in your own back yard right?

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  15. I spent six years working at Kew, and seeing the photos brought back a lot of good memories. Out of all the glasshouses, the temperate house seemed to be the least visited. I always enjoyed getting up that end of the garden as the architectural details on the building plus the fabulous plants were always a pleasure to stroll around. It's great they use this glasshouse as a backdrop to the Jazz festival they promote each year. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

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    1. Six years, wow I bet you've got some stories to tell!

      Least visited? I'm sorry to hear that, there are so many wonderful plants inside. Many of my favorites actually.

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