I visit London often but I don’t always make time to do touristy things. Because I’m there to see James and spend time with friends I usually end up going for drinks, dinner or hanging out in someone’s apartment. Whilst I completely adore doing those things, it was nice to spend a day in London doing something unusual and visiting Kew Gardens last month. It really is such a magical place. I remember going to Kew gardens with my art class at school to take photos for our photography project. I ended up focusing the rest of my work on flowers and furniture, making a chair to plant in a huge pot covered by vines, as well as a chair in the shape of a flower which I decoupaged with prints of my own flower paintings. I guess I’ve always been inspired by plants! There must be photos of these sketchbooks at my parents’ house and I’m dying to rifle back through them. I’m so inspired by the cast iron structure of the glasshouses and I think it’s amazing how each one can transport you to another country with the different biodiversity and micro-climates contained in a glass building. The rainforest glasshouse is my favourite because it’s so warm, although I had to hide my camera under my coat every couple of minutes when the sprinklers came on!
We managed to spend the last hour of the day wandering around the grounds at sunset, which was amazing. The treetop walkway is spectacular and there really is so much space there. It would be the perfect place to return with a picnic on a sunny day! On our way out we spotted this fox by a tree. He didn’t seem to mind us approaching to take a photo – I think it’s the closest I’ve ever seen a fox in real life. I have mixed feelings about foxes – they’re so cute and of course I think fox hunting is disgusting – but I also don’t like that they kill bunny rabbits. It might be a part of nature, but my feelings about bunny rabbits transcend all reason.
Wow, those gardens look amazing! I’d never even head of them in London but now I really want to visit whenever I make it back to London. Beautiful photos!
Lee – leethrifts.com
They are so beautiful honestly, and surprisingly big! They’re quite touristy and the ticket price is expensive but it’s worth it to hang out in a rainforest for a day
If I could live in these photos I would!
❤︎
Dakota D.
http://fannypacksandvisors.com
Me too, I wish the glasshouse could be my garden <3
LOVE your photos, Jess! The colours & intricacies of plants always inspire me, too.
Thank you!
Thank you
I know a lot of art is inspired by flowers and plants so it’s not original, but I can understand why!
I love Kew Gardens! My dad used to take me here every summer when I was little, so it’s really nice to see you talk about it with such love. This post has made me want to go back and have a wander!
Ahw it’s lovely that you have such fond memories associated with the place. You should definitely return! & see if it seems any smaller as an adult.
This looks amazing! I love botanical gardens but I’ve actually never been to Kew Gardens despite visiting London hundreds of times. I should definitely change this in the near future because, like you, I love taking photos in such places. It’s an especially nice environment to take blog/Instagram stock photos I think! Plus greenhouses are always so warm and fragrant, and who doesn’t like being in a bit of a tropical setting on a cloudy day?
Aisling | aisybee.
Ahh, you should definitely go! I’ve been to quite a few botanical gardens but Kew is just something else because it’s so expansive. It’s like going on holiday somewhere tropical without having to leave the UK. The only problem with taking photos there is that the air so moist it kept fogging up my camera lense, haha xx
Jess hahahha, I was just at Kew Gardens yesterday with Ryan! We’ll have a lot to compare on Monday
We also got really close to a fox, maybe the ones that live there are just super-tame?
WE’RE SO SIMILAR! I think the foxes in London are jut really sassy xx