Kew Gardens

 

Kew Gardens

 

VO

English country gardens don’t come any bigger or better than this one here at Kew in South West London. Spanning 121 hectares, Kew is the world’s leading botanical centre, with more than 30,000 different plant types housed in six magnificent glass houses.

 

IV

Kew Gardens is now a world heritage sight – we were awarded that status a couple of years ago, and it’s a fantastic place to come and visit for all sorts of reasons. We have five or six different glass houses, lots of different plants. The palm house is the icon of Kew, but what people may not know is that the temperate house is also here, and is the largest of the glass houses.

 

IV2

This here is the temperate house, it’s the largest Victorian glass house in the world. It holds a collection of plants from the temperate regions of the world. A lot of people come in to look at the plants and enjoy a really really great day out.

 

VO
Kew Gardens also boasts the world’s largest indoor plant.

 

IV2

This is the Jubea Chilliensis. Looks like a large elephant trunk running right up to the top of the house. Produces these small coconut like fruits which are edible. I don’t think it’s got that long to go. I think it’s probably got ten or fifteen more years before I’m afraid, we’ll have to get the chainsaw to it and take it down which will be a sad sad day. I think people should come to Kew Gardens to visit this fantastic three hundred acres of green oasis here in Kew just outside London. It’s a massive area, we’ve got a lot to see, a lot to do, three fantastic display houses, we’ve got a lake over the far side, we’ve got Queen Charlotte’s cottage, we’ve got a big conservation area where it’s nice and cool and shaded…

 

VOX
Kew Gardens is a retreat. It’s a haven for you to come to and just relax.

 

IV2

It’s just a fantastic place to be in. You know, it’s quiet, people come and picnic 365 days a year, and it’s just a great place to be.