Well hello there, Beastie friends! Last week we followed Explorer Beastie as he caught up with his old buddy Garcia Beastie in the colourful surroundings of Kew Gardens. And you might remember that they spotted this place from the heights of the Treetop Walkway…
That’s the Temperate House. It looked a little sad the last time Beasties invaded Kew, as you can see.
But what a difference this time around! Look at all this greenery! It’s the perfect place for a pair of woolly monsters to hang out.
We also thought we’d managed to find the lonely statue I photographed through the windows last time (it’s top left in the collage above)… But if it’s the same guy he’s put on some clothes since our last visit! 😉
And while there were plenty of interesting things to see at ground level…
“Check us out! We’re flowers!”
… The Beasties couldn’t wait to climb up the spiral staircase to the balcony and feel tall!
From our high perch, you really see how huge the Temperate House is. It’s the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world today… And it needs to be big! Since “temperate” covers pretty much any part of the world outside of the tropics and the polar regions, 1500 species of plants from 5 continents and 16 islands call this giant greenhouse home.
And when we were there, it wasn’t just plants that were on display…
We were lucky enough to catch the very last day of the Chihuly Reflections on Nature exhibition! Throughout our wanderings around Kew, we enjoyed seeing the bright colours and otherworldly shapes of Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures peeking out from between the plants. Garcia Beastie especially liked this huge tumble of blue flowers stretching down from the ceiling, but look out for more pics in a future post!
Right, let’s get back downstairs. Well, once I’d managed to get the Beasties out of the rafters… Honestly, they find their way into places you’d never even think of!
But they were soon distracted by many more curious plants and idyllic quiet corners.
Eventually though…
“I think we’ve seen everything now!”
“Looks like it. Let’s go!”
But the weather outside the Temperate House is decidedly less temperate…
What now? Should the Beasties stay indoors, or risk getting their paws wet as they explore the rest of Kew? We’ll find out next time we catch up with them… But be sure to join us next week when I’ll have some new Beasties for you to meet!
See you then!
It was lovely to revisit the Temperate House at Kew through the eyes of two Beasties
Thanks Mariss! I don’t think any of us anticipated how much there would be to see in there – it’s huge, isn’t it? Cheers for joining us on the tour!
That building is architecturally amazing! I so enjoy the Beastie adventures posts! The closing image of the Beastie at the door is too awesome!
It is, isn’t it? And all the better now that it’s full of plants again. Thanks for joining us, Tierney… Glad you enjoyed the tour!
THey need to get their feet wet… everytime! 🙂
I suppose so! If they wait for dry weather in this part of the world they’ll never go anywhere 😂 Or maybe I should make them some wellies…
There’s another sideline for you – beatie clothing lol
Already on it! Let me know if Slarti needs a new wardrobe for Spring/Summer… 😂
I will do! 😀😀
“Well dear, it looks like the Beasties are in bloom. You know what that means.”
“Utter mayhem.”
“Precisely.”
You’re really making it difficult not to plan a London excursion.
Hahaha! Yes, Dr Painter, your assessment could well be correct. And sorry that I’m pretty much forcing you to drop everything and go to London IMMEDIATELY! Be sure to send us a postcard 😁
Looks like I’ll have to go now to accept my honorary doctorate from Kew Gardens 😃
Yes, and hearty congratulations for acing Beastie Botany 101!
Very different weather to the day we went, when it was so hot, even the temperate house felt tropical! I’m so glad you got to see the glass sculptures … they really were amazing, weren’t they?
Ah, British weather! But yes, the Chihuly sculptures were incredible… And the dull rainy day almost made them more striking! I also owe you a thank you for making me aware of the exhibition in the first place – cheers!