From the second I stepped into the Waterlily House at Kew Gardens in London I was filled with awe and wonder. I was both excited and calmed by the environment. It is amazing and I truly love being here.
Kew gardens is based in Kew near Richmond in south London. The Waterlily House is one of the smaller glasshouses at Kew, finished in 1852 and now a listed building.
This glasshouse was designed specifically to showcase the amazing giant Amazon waterlily, (Victoria amazonica) which is a natural wonder and deservedly so.
Experiencing The Waterlily House
Do not be fooled by the Waterlily House unassuming entrance. It belies the beautiful experience you are about to have. As you enter you are immediately greeted with a vibrant array of tropical and aquatic plants including waterlilies and climbers and everything in between, each one a thing of beauty, interest and sheer joy.
When you enter the Water Lily house you are straight away struck by the beauty, then the humidity. In fact it is the hottest and most humid of the glasshouses and it feels like it. You are transported into a different world.
Measuring only 225 square metres or 738 square feet, the small glasshouse heats up very quickly and especially when the weather outside is warm and sunny, so if you visit be prepared for that. Layers you can take on and off quickly as you go in and out of the glasshouses are your friend at Kew Gardens.
The atmosphere inside emotionally is a mixture of silent awe and excited chatter. When we were there a group of schoolchildren were happily taking photographs and calling to each other to look here and there at the plants. It was heart warming to see them so interested and enthralled.
Couples were wandering through smiling at the plants and each other. Others were intent on reading the descriptions of the plants and looking up more details on their phones. Some stood silently gazing. From time to time complete strangers would meet, both looking at a plant and strike up a natural friendly conversation.
For our time in there everyone had one focus and one joy and it was wonderful.
The Pond and Giant Waterlily
At his heart is the circular pond where the giant waterlilies live. This spans over 10 metres or about 32 feet and takes up a large central area of the house. There is a perimeter circular pathway all around and more plants around the perimeter and hanging above our heads. As you walk around you brush against the plants and are able to touch and smell them. The pathway is not large so there is a lot of "excuse me" and smiling as we move past each other. We are all surrounded by gorgeous, interesting plants and immersed in nature.
Some of the waterlilies are almost purely circular while others to me seemed to have a heart shape, all are stunning. We found the giant Waterlily Victoria boliviana in the pond, it is very easy to spot! This is a record breaking waterlily, named as a new species by Kew Gardens in 2022. The lily pads of this species grow up to three metres or about ten feet wide so they are huge and very impressive indeed. They have very wide rims upturned and prickly undersides.
They have beautiful large fragrant flowers which open white and mature to a pretty pink. Gorgeous as they are, each flower only lasts for 2 days. It is truly an amazing sight to behold. We are not permitted to touch these waterlilies but to see them is a privilege.
Giant waterlilies were discovered in Bolivia in 1801 and later on named "Victoria" to honour Queen Victoria Of The United Kingdom. They understandably attracted a lot of attention and curiosity. The huge lily pads look spectacular and grow so massive they are able to carry an adult. However this is most certainly not permitted at Kew and is an offence as can harm the plant and would eventually ruin this most beautiful display of waterlilies. These days only Kew Garden staff are allowed into the pond.
It is also interesting that In the mid-19th century, a specimen of the waterlily was sent to Joseph Paxton, the architect. He designed Crystal Palace in south London which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. It is said that the waterlily leaf inspired his design for that amazing building. Sadly fire destroyed Crystal Palace 30th November 1936.
Plants In The Waterlily House
While everyone is naturally focussed on the amazing giant waterlilies do take time to look around at the other plants.
While the Waterlilies are the stars here, every star needs a good supporting cast and these plants do that very well. In fact many of these beauties made my heart skip a beat as much as the waterlilies.
There are many beautiful and fascinating plants around the perimeter that are certainly worth taking a while to view and photograph. They add to the beautiful ambiance and magical quality of this lovely place. If I could visit every week I really would! The Waterlily House is open during the Spring, Summer and Autumn up to November then closed for the winter.
People often ask how long will a visit take and I find that difficult to answer. Certainly as one of the smaller glasshouses you can take it all in quite quickly. In ten minutes you can walk all around at a slow pace. However if you do that you are missing the best part of the experience which is to immerse yourself in the plants, see the giant waterlilies and then as you are there longer start to notice all the other details you initially missed.
We were there around an hour and really I still felt I could have stayed longer. So my suggestion is to take your time, wander round, take photos, read the information if you want but do take time to stop and stare, drink in the atmosphere and fully experience it. If you like gardens you may enjoy the book Royal Gardens Of The World which explores twenty one celebrated, beautiful, interesting gardens.
If you love the look of Kew gardens you may like this lovely book The Story Of Kew Gardens In Photographs.
So if you ever visit London's Kew gardens do not miss the Waterlily House, it is a real treat and somewhere we go every time we are able to visit Kew Gardens. For me it is a gardening jewel.
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Wow!! what a wonderful and very descriptive review of these amazing gardens. Every word of your review made me feel like I was actually there. Your photos are amazing and so beautiful. If I'm ever in London, I'll be sure to have the Kew Gardens on my list to visit.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sam! I really appreciate your kind words and happy that you enjoyed my article. Kew Gardens is a gorgeous place to visit and I will be writing more articles about it.
DeleteI had heard of Kew Gardens, but did not really realize what it was. So reading your delightful description was a treat and new learning experience. Thanks for this interesting and educational virtual tour, Raintree Annie.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much , I am glad you enjoyed my article. Yes The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is an amazing place. Here I just reviewed the Waterlily House, there are many more Glasshouses plus all the grounds and many other beautiful features. A fantastic place to visit and you need at least a few days to see it all !
DeleteWow! What a beautiful place to visit. I will definitely need to add the Kew Gardens to my list of attractions I must see the next time I visit London. What a fascinating experience it must be with so many rare and unique plants and flowers. At over 9 feet in size, the giant waterlilies must be breathtaking! Thanks for sharing your photos. They make me wish to board a plane today to see them in person
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, it is a magical place! I think you would love a visit there and yes in the Waterlily House the giant waterlilies are stunning! I will be reviewing more of Kew gardens in future articles :)
DeleteOh my goodness, Raintree Annie! This is such a captivating virtual visit to the magical Waterlily House in Kew Gardens. I’m trying to imagine seeing the 10-foot-diameter giant Waterlily Victoria boliviana “up close and personal.” How awe-inspiring that must have been! Thank you so much for this evocative tour.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate your kind words and love that you enjoyed my article! The Giant waterlilies are truly a wonderful sight that you never forget, yes awe inspiring indeed.
DeleteOh I would love to visit this place. Waterlilies are one of my favorite plants and I had many when we had our home. I love seeing them grow and flower even though they are short lived. It is so fascinating. Thanks for taking me on this tour. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteKew Gardens is a lovely place and I agree waterlilies are so stunning. I am so glad you enjoyed my article. Thank you so much for visiting I appreciate it.
DeleteWhat an outstanding place to visit - the humidity would give me an instant curl up, lol - Just a great place to visit in London, I'm sure - One of my kids is planning a London visit soon I think, I'll be sure to mention this to him - and it sounds soothing, relaxing
ReplyDeleteYes it is a truly lovely experience. Kew gardens deserves a minimum of a full day visit, more if you are really interested in plants and gardens, there is so much to see and experience whether you like the glasshouses or the outdoor gardens and woodland. The Waterlily House is one of the smaller glass houses but so worth a visit.
DeleteThis sounds wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteThank you yes it is a really lovely place to visit. I adore waterlilies!
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