Kew Gardens are an iconic & “must see” part of a visit to London for us, so an opportunity to visit in late June was not to be missed. Sadly with the hot start to London’s summer, the first rose blooms were largely over but the gardens were still looking wonderful. We were visiting with friends who introduced us to parts of the Gardens, and in particular the Galleries there which we had not found in our visit last autumn.
One of the Galleries is the Shirley Sherwood Botanical Art one. A simple modern very white building and interior, with the exhibits beautifully presented and doing ‘all the talking”!! The key artist on this visit was, Sue Wickison, a New Zealander – we think living on Waiheke island when in NZ- who was born in Sierra Leone, but now travels extensively both at home and overseas recording endangered plant species.
The exhibition is themed around plants of the Quran:-
When entering the Sherwood Gallery you pass through reception and then through two white double doors that give no hint of what you will encounter inside:-
These very amateur photos just cannot do justice to the wonderful paintings, and there were many more than these few shown. If i had a favourite it would be the onion where the artist is able to show the translucence of the outer brown leaves, superbly!
A few other artists were displayed, this one below caught our eye , the grand water Lilly, just as did the real life example at the start of this blog;-
The Sherwood Gallery is small, and as we walked past the “botanical art” and remembering the Quran theme at the start, we came upon a room with a “lacquered steel and LED light show in place, the colour, shadows and impact were stunning:-
Back in the Gardens themselves, the magnificent trees were at their summer best, a little blossom left like on the Indian Chestnut and its pink flower:-
Within the walled Kew Gardens themselves, there are smaller gardens in part reflecting the history and that Kew Palace pictured below with its garden was the home of George 111 and his family, and sadly the place for his many illnesses:-
The late Queen Elizabeth 11 was also a regular visitor to Kew Gardens and the below show a little of the “Queens Garden”:-
And finally no visit to Kew Gardens would be complete without the famous glass house and its surround, manicured to perfection with a family of geese and their goslings mooching around for some delicacies.
Travels with My Wife 