Behind the Scenes at Kew

Last Sunday, Kew Gardens held an open day for members to go behind the scenes at the Tropical Nursery. The Tropical Nursery is where Kew keeps its scientific collections and also where it propagates plants for use in displays within the Palm House, Temperate House, Waterlily House and Princess of Wales Conservatory.

The Tropical Nursery covers an area of over 6,500m2 and is itself divided into a further 21 climatic environments that are separately controlled and monitored by computer. These zones are split into four main divisions Cacti and Succulents, Moist Tropics, Orchids, plus Temperate and Conservation Collections.

So with various guides and Nursery people on hand we called in for an hour or so on Sunday.

The main walkways though the nursery more closely resemble a laboratory than a nursery, with computer control panels for the climate control situated outside each section. Temperature and humidity are closely monitored and adjusted as required automatically. 
Cacti, Euphorbia, Agaves, etc all being carefully tended and grown on, perhaps some of these will grace the arid section in the Princess of Wales Conservatory one day. 

Just one section along from the arids and the area is dedicated to exotics, every available space is used, with pots hanging on racks on the walls.

Please dont water the Saintpaulias... no really please dont! 

A selection of more tropical plants needing warm, humid conditions

I don't think we have seen a variegated lemon before, not just variegated leaves, but fruit too. Stunning!




Close up of the fruits forming on the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum)

Seed of Agave bracteosa drying ready for sowing and storing,

The world smallest waterlily (Nymphaea themarum), incredibly rare and endangered. but something of a success story at Kew

Nymphaea themarum is extinct in the wild (native to Rwanda) but a small number of plants were collected by the Bonn Botanic Garden. However despite the care and attention lavished on them in Germany the scientists were unable to successfully propagate more from seed. That was until Kew worked out the secret and have now grown on a significant number of plants. Perhaps one day this will be reintroduced to the wild.

Aloes as far as the eye can see!

Its lovely to see behind the scenes to get an idea into just how much work goes into maintaining the glasshouses, as well as getting to talk to a few nursery men and women that tend to these plants :)Gaz