Yesterday I headed off across the heath to catch the Overground to Kew Gardens, meeting on my way…
First this splendid random patch of daisies growing at the bottom of the meadow running down to Millfield Lane. How did they get there? Who knows…..
And then, down on Hampstead Pond 2, the swan family. Our swan watcher had sent me an image a couple of days ago which was unusual in that one parent had apparently abandonned parental duties to go and meditate in the middle of the pond.
But when I saw them yesterday, both parents were very much on duty. Less attentive, it appears, was the moorhen mum.
In Kew everything was looking extremely green and lush and, in the waterlily house, it was seriously steamy. And yes, those are the waterlilies that will support a small child ‘sailing’ them.
Not steamy but breezy in the amazing Hive installation which towers 17 metres tall on top of a mound covered in wild flowers. It was created by UK based artist Wolfgang Buttress for the UK Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo but has come to rest in Kew. A thousand LED lights glow around this massive metal hive while gentle music in the key of C (the key that bees buzz in) accompanies their buzzing….
I could, obviousy, fill 50 posts with images from Kew but I am going to resist the temptation and just tell about the Paulownia tree. Well, actually, let Kew tell you about it.
We woud probably have walked straight past it if we had not stopped to talk to a lady collecting some of the blossoms that had fallen to the ground – who turned out to be a guide, boning up on her talks having been stood down for a year by the pandemic. She told us that the flowers, which were still very pretty but slightly past their best, had covered every inch of the tree which was a good 40 foot high and branching vigorously.
Not only had they covered the tree but their scent as you walked by had been like walking into a perfumery department. She then enlarged somewhat on the information above.
Those who remember or have heard about the mega storm of 1987 may know that Kew lost nearly 1000 trees in the hurrcane force winds. Once the staff had got over the heartbreak of losing so many of their rare and precious trees they decided to use the opportunity to restock with even rarer and more exciting ones from around the world. The expedition to Taiwan focused on the higher mountain ranges because it was thought that only those growing above a certain height would be able to cope with the lower temperatures of an English winter. However, despite the worst that English winters can throw at it, and the fact that it is now living in a damp river basin instead of up a mountain, this Paulownia seems to have flourished.
In fact, when I did a bit of Googling, I found that Paulownias, also known as the Sapphire Dragon tree, the foxglove tree and the empress tree have actually now become very popular garden trees:
A profusion of tubular, foxglove-like flowers that are creamy pink with spotted throats are borne in long panicles in spring before the leaves appear, creating quite a spectacular sight. Tolerant of poor air quality, they are very hardy trees that grow extremely quickly and are an excellent choice as an ornamental or shade tree for medium to larger gardens. These are very long lasting trees, likely to have a lifespan of around 100 years.
I wonder how one would do in my new garden at Hampstead Lane?…..
Being on the receiving end of the talking walks