Kew Japan Month

 So this is a thing, Kew has its own Momijigari trail along with a Japan festival for the whole of October, so if you want to explore the garden and have an interest in Japanese culture then this will probably do it. 

A warning though, book online, its a good £2 cheaper and they do not take cash at the main gates, card only sadly. Also I only got to see some of the permanent things there, including the gravel garden and Chokushi mon gate, as there was a massive queue to get in to the main event in the temperate house.

On the other hand though, those events are strictly optional and included in your entry fee. In fact over half term 16 - 31st Oct there's a Gruffalo event as well, which is worth mentioning for families.

What did  I actually see then?

Mostly quite a bit of the lower garden, including the Palm House, Princess of Wales Glasshouse and the Chokushi Gate and Yoshino Cherry pathway. Mental note, come back in spring time to see if they are in full bloom for sakura season.

Palm house is the main tropical house, holding palms and cycads but also many tropical trees such as Tamarind and a Banana in flower when I was there. Holds the oldest pot plant a massive cycad; the last of its kind.

Princess of Wales Greenhouse is not named after Princess Di but Princess Augusta although it was opened by her in 1987 and she has a memorial Maple in the garden which I also saw. making this the only Momiji of the trip.

They have a reasonable selection of cacti as it's my prime interest might actually be there for mesemb season. Caught a few conos in flower along with one of two Lithops. There were a few Opuntia in flower also. Mostly though a few odd species were in flower including a Plectranthus, an Elephant's foot yam and a Stoeberia, which can get to about 8ft making it the worlds biggest mesemb species.

Outside I saw a Jay as well as the usual crows and Magpie common to London. The chestnuts were in fruit and I saw the Gingko as well. Topped it off with a walk around the gate before going home.

Banana Flower

Dioscorea Elephantipes Flower

Stoeberia Frutescens bloom.

Paulownia Crests on the Chokushi gate.

Unknown Hoya in the Orchid section