Exploring Kew Gardens and why nature is a vital lifeforce to humankind on earth

 

My love for nature and passion for a good true story called for me to feed my creative juices and write this article to inspire and motivate readers to learn about the gardens and above all realise the importance of nature. A true story proving the truth is not underrated. Also hoping that by sharing my experience, love for nature and creating a better greener planet will encourage more people to visit and even become members and of course to give you a heads up on the much – needed time required to spend there in order to explore it fully. The online views in the search guide of Kew Gardens hugely underestimate what it’s really like to be there and the time required to spend there, they state 3 hours is all that’s needed to fully explore the gardens which is realistically more like 3 days. 😂 I too will probably not capture it to its full extent as it would require turning this article into a book lol which is a good idea as there is just simply much to explore and write about, but I certainly will try to, along with the help of many photos and videos I have taken of the place to share with you. Exploring the gardens fully required me to visit at least 4 time’s, I spent 3 hours in the main greenhouse alone on my first ever visit there and I still believe there is more to see and do that I may have missed, such as the challenging climb up the 253 step staircase to the top of the Great pagoda and look down at the spectacular views of London.

 

 

After my first visit I fell in love with the place, it’s truly the most beautiful place I have ever visited and I am delighted that I decided to become a member allowing me to visit as many times as I want to in a year. Membership grants unlimited access to both the Kew gardens in London as well as the Wakehurst botanic gardens in Sussex as they are both managed by the royal botanic gardens. Kew is a very important botanical research and educational institution and also a charity botanical garden and conservation centre, therefore as well as being able to roam the gardens to my heart’s content I know that I am also contributing to a good cause that I feel so passionately about. At a critical time for all life on earth, knowing that I am helping experts collaborate worldwide to discover nature – based solutions to halt biodiversity loss and end the extinction crisis, help create a world where nature is protected and valued by creating a greener more sustainable world. I must say it does feel good being able to give back to nature. Afterall without nature and plants we would not exist on earth, they reflect god’s powerful creations on earth and are a vital lifeforce to all humankind. Nature and plants provide us with the very essence of life, the essential elements needed to survive on this planet, such as the oxygen we obtain from the air we breathe, the food we eat, as well as shelter, timber, fibre, oils rubber and medicine.  Plants and trees maintain balance in the ecosystem and also purify our air, unlike humans and animals which breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, plants do the very opposite they absorb carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen. Hence why forests are described as the ‘lungs of the planet’.

 

The carbon dioxide which plants absorb remain inside the plant even after it dies and overtime is transformed into fossil fuel we use to survive. Burning fossil fuel releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air which in turn leads to climate change and global warming. However, a healthier way of producing fuel is to use biofuel, this is created from certain plant materials that cannot be consumed by humans, such as corn stalks, grasses and wood chips otherwise known as biomass and significantly reduces greenhouse emissions, compared to fossil fuels. Biofuel provides 93% more usable energy than the fossil energy needed for its production making it a lot more sustainable, reduces GHGs by 41% compared with fossil fuel, has minimal impact on human and environmental health and reduces air pollutants through pesticide release.  As a charity Kew relies heavily on membership fees and visits to continue the good deeds of their critical work protecting global plant and fungal biodiversity and mitigating the impact of climate change.

Each and every visit at Kew had surprised me with something new, it’s like an everlasting magical garden that houses the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world, and even better than your most imaginative fantasy garden. The Kew gardens combined with Wakehurst botanical gardens cover 800 acres of land filled with the world’s most extraordinary extinct and unusual botanical plants and trees. Researchers and scientists have for many years now been using these for botanical medicine and treatments for all sorts of diseases. From the cycads to the ferns, you will find them at Kew and learn so much from them. The cycads are the most ancient species of plant lineages, having first appeared in the fossil record around 300 million years ago! They predate the dinosaurs and grew on every continent, including Antarctica. Their decline began several million years later during the Jurrasic period. They resemble the palms and tree ferns, both ancient species but are not related. The ferns are the second largest group of vascular land plants and are the modern descendants of an ancient group that originated about 350 million years ago.

 

 

In the gardens there are also several huge greenhouses, they are like museums that house the many plants, flowers and trees. The photos I have shared with you here were taken inside each of these greenhouses. One of my favorites are the giant lily pads and lotus flowers that are housed inside their very own greenhouse along with some carnivorous plants. I wanted to share some more interesting and educational facts about the lotus flower, it is family to the water Lily and in my opinion resembling a shower head lol prior to blooming and producing it’s beautiful large and colorful petals. The lotus flower is often viewed as a symbol of resilience, purity, rebirth, and strength because it rises from the mud without Staines just like the Phoenix rises from the ashes. The lotus then returns to the murky water each evening and opens their blooms at the break of day. The various colors of the lotus flowers all have different symbolic meanings. The red lotus flower signifies love, care, affection and romantic feelings. The white lotus signifies peace, purity and calmness. Blue is very rare and symbolizes a spirit’s victory, wisdom and knowledge. Both the yellow and pink lotus colors symbolize spiritual path and enlightenment. It is associated with all the above-mentioned symbolic meanings due to its unwavering faith, continuing to resurrect itself each day, refusing to accept defeat and it’s relentless fascinating will to live. Here are a few more useful facts about the lotus; The lotus plant contains chemicals such as flavonoid and alkaloid molecules that may act as antioxidants for the body when ingested. Antioxidants help neutralize reactive molecules known as free radicals. The entire lotus flower is edible from its roots to its flower petals and even its seeds. The lotus flower is native to Asia and its existence is apparently older than the dinosaurs having been between 66 to 145 million years ago. It has been used in Asia for culinary and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. No wonder that it is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. When ingested by the human body it is known to decrease swelling and inflammation, kill cancer cells + bacteria, they reduce blood sugar, breakdown fat cells, protect the heart + blood vessels. They contain chemicals that protect the skin, liver + brain. A very useful and fascinating flower indeed. So let us take a leaf from the lotus flower, figuratively speaking and affirm to live each day like the lotus: – evoking mindfulness 🧘‍♀️ Which is living in truth. This leads to extending compassion to us + others, including self-care and the ability to heal. Creating peace + harmony through positive emotions, you are the antidote to your own well-being

 

The cacti were in their own greenhouse filled with a huge variety of cacti species. The main greenhouse is called the palm house which is predominantly palms and ferns along with some other exotic trees. Each one of those trees are situated in their native country of origin from the tallest bamboo trees in the Americas to Australasia and the banana trees in Africa. And the temperate house is more than double the size of the palm house and is home to kews temperate zone which houses over 10,000 plants. If you have not visited many countries in the world 🌎 then you would be sure to experience the feel of the climate and nature of these locations as though you were in the actual country itself. I personally have never been to any exotic countries other than the Mediterranean and the canaries and so for me it was an amazing experience. Each visit there had me feeling like I was actually abroad and exploring these exotic countries. From the climate to the atmosphere and even seeing the exotic birds 🦢 the experience feels as though you are abroad and not actually in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my third visit to Kew I came across the temple of Arethusa. This was amongst one of the oldest buildings constructed in the 18th century at Kew by Sir William chambers for the pleasure of Princess Augusta. Later to be used as a war memorial temple to commemorate the loss of 37 Kewites that had sacrificed their lives during the 1st world war. The temple of Arethusa derives from the Greek goddess Arethusa, she was a beautiful nymph and a friendly companion of the moon goddess Artemis. Arethusa later gave her name to a spring after fleeing from the advances of the river god Alpheus, who had fallen in love with her after she had bathed in his river. Her name also means “swift water” in Greek, and there is my touch of Greek mythology for you.

We continued our adventure through the gardens and came across a lake and as we continued our walk alongside the lake we discovered “the bronze bridge” well that’s what I named it as it was you guessed it made from a bronze metal, it was situated in a beautiful, serene location. The bridge was built to allow people to walk across it and get to the other side of the lake whilst enjoying the beautiful views. We had so much fun and laughter as we were stood on the bridge feeding a range of waterfowl ducks and swans, 🦢 to my surprise a huge coy fish jumped out of the water to also feed and suddenly this supersonic duck 🦆 also appears to be swimming for his life in our direction he swam 100 miles an hour faster than I’d ever witnessed a bird swim 😂 so that he could also join in on the fun and feed, he must have been famished. We then walked across the lake to the other side of the garden only to find another surprise once having crossed over, another unusually large bird with a long pointy beak called the grand heron casually walked past me and so I quietly followed it trying to film what I could as it led us to the river where it spread its beautiful large wings and soared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my fourth visit to Kew Gardens, I was with one of my good friends again of over 20 years she gained free entry as my guest only this time it was also her birthday, and coincidentally her name is also Kew and spelt just like the gardens. We decided to take a left at Victoria gate this time and explore the arboretum which is Latin for “place with trees” on the other side of the gardens. The arboretum is a vast collection that consists of 14,000 rare and ancient trees, some famous record holders such as the coastal redwood to name one, which is in fact the tallest tree in the whole of Kew Gardens, having reached 40metres high! This is the equivalent height to a 13 storey building.

I offered to treat us to a lunch at the bar & grill located on this same side of the gardens and of course it was no ordinary grill or restaurant. It only served healthy plant-based foods foraged from the gardens. And used Deffra approved charcoal and woody waste, you guessed it from the garden. 🪵 It had a large outdoor seating area that was surrounded by beautiful grapevines and rightly so we chose to enjoy our lunch alfresco in the beautiful sunny weather, sat under the grapevine with a glass of alpro the only alcoholic beverage they had and it actually felt like we were abroad dining at a Mediterranean restaurant, especially as the U.K was having the hottest summer on record and it just reminded me of being in my parent’s hometown on the beautiful island of Cyprus. In no time that drink had hit me it was kind of strong and I am not really a drinker. To my amazement I saw a peacock feather sticking out of the ground right next to me which I found rather peculiar as it was the only one there. From where we were sat, we could see the great pagoda building in the distance, and so we headed there next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great pagoda is the only one of several Chinese buildings that were designed for Kew that still stand the test of time today built from 1762 as a gift for princess Augusta, the founder of the gardens. It was one of the earliest and finest bird’s 🦅 eye views of London. We took some photos of us at the great pagoda building, as you can see it’s a remarkable hexagonal shape with a dragon 🐉 on each corner consisting of 6 per floor that’s a total of 54 dragons. Sadly, we did not have enough time to climb the tall pagoda building that day, as we had our mind-set to find the tree top walkway and that was enough to climb in a day. On our journey to locate the tree top walkway in the distance opposite under a small tree I spotted something phenomenal.

What is really amazing is that a few weeks ago i bought some beautiful exotic peacock 🦚 pillows for my garden and a two-seater cocoon swinging sofa, as the garden is my favourite place of the home and where I like to spend most of my time. Only to find one sat under the tree at Kew just weeks later, I had the pleasure of encountering the real deal and the experience of actually feeding a peacock myself for the very first time ever. Sometimes I really do think that I possess some kind of psychic awareness, it could just mean that I am in tune with my gut feelings and intuition which is more likely, being a Scorpio. I have always experienced things I vividly think or dream about. And later remembering the peacock feather next to me in the restaurant which was another sign that I would see one.

Apparently seeing and encountering a peacock is a sign of a good omen, one that brings fame, good luck and immortality. I feel so honored and grateful to accept and welcome these blessings in my life. I will also add the peacock 🦚 interestingly symbolizes power, divinity, strength, empathy, integrity, honesty, protection due to all the eyes it carries on its beautiful lustrous tail that are known to enhance one’s protection like the evil eye 🧿 and awareness, confidence but not arrogance. It is also known to be the kindest and most intelligent bird and believed to be a Phoenix born in the world of mortals, what a truly enchanting remarkable bird.

I finished writing this just two days before the sad loss of our dear late queen. I waited to publish my article after watching her funeral and mourning her death out of respect.  I share my tribute to her majesty the queen Elizabeth II below, Saddened 😢 and shocked to hear of her sudden passing at age 96, she was in fact the longest reigning monarch having served us for 70 years. It is literally the end of an era, and the greatest one at that. I am thankful to have spent my whole life living in the Elizabethan era, she was always a huge inspiration to our nation, a good-hearted person, both humble and courageous, she had earnt her respect from having continuously remained the caring and devoted role model to her people from the time she began her reign as a young queen in a male dominated world 🌎 aged 26 until her very last breath at aged 96. She was very loved by her people and her family, my condolences to the royal family, I hope it brings them peace and solace knowing this and how she touched so many lives. May her majesty Queen Elizabeth II now R.I.P 🙏 💐 Her memory will always be legendary and remembered for her love and passion towards the planet and people, nature and animals, it is a comforting feeling knowing that I share those personal qualities and values with her. It is a sad but also exciting time as we transition from the Elizabethan era into the new Carolean era and we bear witness to many televised unprecedented historical events. A few days after her funeral I spent the whole day in hospital, having visited my best friend and by the end of the night I witnessed one of life’s greatest miracles the birth of her beautiful baby boy. This was a wonderful rejoicing moment, and a sure guarantee that life goes on.

I certainly will be reminded of her every time I visit the gardens and the next time I walk by to marvel at the exotic treasures inside the temperate house and see her face in many photos that were taken of her from her visits to the gardens where she had personally also planted the ginkgo tree. Also look out for the sculptures of the queen’s beasts they reside at Kew Gardens greeting visitors by the entrance gate of the palm house. There is also a plaque outside the palm house providing the history of the queen’s beasts.

I will conclude with saying that I hope you have enjoyed reading my article/true story of my adventures to the beautiful Kew Gardens, and im sure you will agree that a world without nature is no world to live in, and that a true story is not overrated. Although we have sadly reached the end of the summer the good news is that Kew Gardens is open for visitation all year around. There are stunning themes and decorations plus events for all four seasons thankfully. I welcome your comments and look forward to sharing my next article with you soon…