Kew Palace and Kitchen gardens

Roses are planted in hugs curving beds (top left) Bicycles in Kew Village (bottom left) The lily house (top right) The little road train that is a great way to get through the acres of park (bottom right) 

My mother has visited most of the great gardens in England and was a little dismissive about my proposed visit to Kew Gardens, her thoughts were that there was not much to see with the exception of the great Glasshouse at Kew. Regardless I stuck to my plan and took the overland train out to Kew on Monday morning, arriving at opening time. The little village of Kew was quaint and it would have been nice to have more time to explore.

 

I joined the little tourist train which puttered around the wooded acres, walking the rose gardens and waterlily house first. The highlight for me and reason for my visit were the two veggie gardens at Kew Palace. Speed touring mad King George's very modest palace I couldn't help lingering in the garden. The Queen's garden has been redesigned as a lovely physic garden brimming with plants and herbs used for medicinal properties.

Next door another building housed the extensive kitchens for the Palace, the actual kitchen is a huge basement room with stone floors, long rough wooden tables and cavernous fireplaces filled with black iron stoves. The Kitchen Garden was charming and brimming with spring bounty and ideas for planting beds at ground level.