A Paean to Plants
Barely 30 minutes away from the hubbub of central London lies a flora fan’s paradise— Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens, the largest UNESCO world heritage site in the English capital. Call it serendipity, but around Christmas time, the gardens nestling in southwest London are awash in a rich tapestry of lasers, lights and installations set against the canvas of a dark dense sky. Lilting Christmas musical scores make the viewing even more immersive. This is the annual ‘ Christmas at Kew’ exhibition, which celebrates the garden’s after- dark landscape through works of international artists and architects.
Delightful as the experience is at the night show, it is quite something else to soak in the garden’s splendor in daylight. After all, even Sir Richard Attenborough had described Kew as “the most important botanical institute in the world”. UNESCO declared the garden a World Heritage Site in 2003, in recognition of the importance of its historic landscapes as well as the significance of its work in botanical and environmental sciences.
The first thing that strikes as you enter the 326- acre venue, set in a curve of River Thames, is its Zen- like tranquility. It is so permeating that even the whirligig of planes landing or taking off from Heathrow Airport, located 18 kms away from here, seems to recede into oblivion. “The gardens encompass about 50,000 different species of plants,” a staffer from the Kew Gardens’ office informs us, as we stroll along meticulously laid- out pathways marked by bold signages and surrounded by stellar architectural structures. “Kew has increasingly taken on a leading role in habitat and biodiversity conservation worldwide and its landscape constantly keeps evolving,” he adds.
While some pockets of Kew are formally laid out with flower beds or themed gardens ( such as the alpine garden), wide open vistas invite visitors to amble through them. These include the bamboo garden, the Japanese gateway, rhododendron dell, woodland glade, arboretum, azalea garden, and many pagodas. If you’d rather not walk, the ‘ Kew Explorer’, a hop on and off trolley, can help transport you through the leafy landscape in comfort.
Our first stop is the famous Temperate
House conservatory. This masterpiece of 19th
century design is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. It’s recommended to perambulate the 190- metre long rectangular plant house featuring stone columns, ribs of wrought iron and pitched roofs. Designed and built by famous British architect Decimus Burton in
1860, it reflects an elegant marriage of Victorian architecture with modern engineering, and hosts over 10,000 plants, many of them rare and endangered species.
Next up is an amble down Holly Walk to see one of Europe’s most comprehensive, and perhaps, the oldest holly collections planted in 1874. Tucked away within the Arboretum to the south of the Gardens is another hidden gem— the Pinetum, redolent in winter greenery. A personal favourite greenhouse, the Princess of Wales Conservatory is a gargantuan space enclosing
10 different climatic zones, ranging from a desert climate on one end to a tropical climate at the other. A plethora of plants— hundreds of types of cacti, carnivorous plants, ferns and orchids, some of which have ‘ air roots’— are showcased here.
Apart from its role in biodiversity conservation, Kew is also imbued with a cultural significance. “London, in the early 18th century, was undergoing a cultural renaissance of sorts, attracting writers, artists and musicians seeking aristocratic patronage and a growing commercial market. Kew was a popular hub for this set to throng to, as even the Royal Family used Kew Palace, purchased from a wealthy merchant, as their summer residence,” the guide informs.
In the 1970s, when the gardens fell into disrepair, millions were pumped in to restoring it to its former glory. Another extensive and expensive ( GBP 41 million) refurbishment followed in 2013, when the gardens shut down for five years. They reopened in 2018 with spanking new features, refurbished interiors and ultramodern technology to improve the environmental control in the glasshouses, as well as techniques to optimise air flow and light to keep the plants healthy. Burton’s own drawings, held within Kew’s archives, were the guiding principles during the restorative work.
If at all the tranquility of the place feels overbearing, visiting the ‘ Hive’, one of the garden’s most celebrated works by artist Wolfgang Buttress, is a good idea. The towering metal honeycomb pavilion was first built for the Milan Expo in 2015, and then packed up and re- located to the botanical gardens as a permanent feature. Themed around the lifecycle of a bee, the 40- tonne installation features an elaborate metal honeycomb with an illuminated dome at its core. “The pavilion helps visitors understand the importance of protecting the honeybee— a species whose future is becoming increasingly fraught due to climate change,” the guide elaborates about the multi- sensory exhibit that integrates art, science and landscape architecture. Pathways guide you under and into the metal hive, which features audio/ visual effects relating to a real bee hive.
A few metres down from Buttress’ masterpiece is the ‘ Sackler Crossing’, a serpentine bridge straddling a lake. It is the work of feted British architect John Pawson, known for his minimalist aesthetic. The 70- metre- long construction was part of a wider project to shepherd “people towards seldom- visited parts of the park”. The
bridge seems to float on the lake, and hopping onto it can make you feel as if you were literally walking on water! This sense is augmented by the near invisibility of the bridge’s support structure, and its subtle colour palette of granite and bronze, which merges almost seamlessly into the surroundings.
But perhaps the most fun and interactive exhibit at Kew is the ‘ Treetop Walkway’, designed by Marks Barfield Architects, the same company which built the London Eye. At 18 metres, it is the tallest structure in the garden, allowing one a bird’s eye view from the top. Nipping up is not for the faint of heart, though. The journey across the 59- ft platform could be adventurous, as it sways dangerously in the breeze like a suspension bridge!
One needs at least one full day to view the many delights and unique edifices of Kew Gardens. Other significant features, besides the ones described here, include the Bonsai House, glasshouses like Davies Alpine House, the Evolution House, the historic Palm House and Rose Garden, the Secluded Garden and the Waterlily House. As home to the most diverse collection of plant life on the planet, the Garden’s value transcends that of a mere touristy hotspot. It is a cultural symbol, a design and architect lover’s paradise, and a repository of seeds from thousands of plant species for reintroduction to their natural habitats or for scientific study. All this makes this serene and lush ecosystem a most unique natural and spiritual capital.