Kew to culture kids!
Famous facility to open a new garden for children
Kew Gardens, England’s premier botanical facility, is to open a major new children’s garden to encourage the young to explore and learn about nature and the plant world. The new venture, which will span an area the size of 40 tennis courts, will embrace the four themes of earth, air, water and sun.
Elements will include a scented tunnel of jasmine, a 3.9m (13ft) high aerial walkway, giant windmill flowers, pollen spheres, splash pools, pergolas festooned with edible fruits and a giant sand pit, complete with a quirky play hut village surrounded by bamboo plants.
The garden, which opens in May 2019, is specifically aimed to attract children aged 2-12 years and it will encourage users to wend their way through a grove of 100 mature trees, including a 200-year-old English oak. Parents and grandparents will be able to take shelter in seating installed beneath some of Kew’s oldest eucalyptus.
Work on the 10,000 sq m (107,639 sq ft) site started two years ago, with 40 mature trees, including pine and ginkgo, transplanted to boost the existing 60-odd grove of existing trees. Funding for the project came from private donors and corporate sponsor Thames Water, with remaining fundraising still ongoing.
“We really hoped to design and create a unique space for children to play in, that would not only be fun and stimulate their imagination, but also give them a different perspective on how the plants grow and why they’re so important,” said Suzie Jewell, Children’s Garden designer overseeing the Kew project. “I hope this will lead to a deeper connection with nature and a lifelong love of plants for them.”
The Children’s Garden is due to open to the public on Saturday, May 18. Visit www.kew.org.