The Kew Garden Orchid Festival, an early spring pick-me-up!

Kew Gardens is worth a visit any time of year, but especially mid-February to mid-March, when every year,  the Princess of Wales Conservatory is redecorated with thousands of orchids.

Kew Garden's "Orchids: Celebrate the color of Columbia" poster in the tube station

This year, the theme is Columbia. Over 6,000 orchids were brought into the conservatory, and its five temperature zones were transformed into diverse aspects of Columbia's landscape. 

Princess of Wales Conservatory--five temperate zones

The central feature is a carnival of animals, including this hanging sloth, created from an elaborate tropical plant arrangement. Also showcased is a swimming turtle, a donkey bearing coffee bags, and a recreation of Columbia's Cano Cristales river, complete with a life sized jaguar. Let's look at some of the beautiful displays of the orchid festival:

sloth hanging over pond

giant toucan flying over pond

Kew Gardens is open daily from 10:30 until 4pm, with special Thursday and Friday late tickets available until 7:30pm. During the evening openings, you can expect live music, food and drink. Cost is £16.50 for entry, advance tickets are recommended, unless you have a Kew membership, in which case you can attend anytime.

peaceful pond

towers of orchids soar to the sky

Here are some of the photos I took of some of the beautiful orchid and tropical plant species:

For a closer look at Kew Gardens, see my blog titled Kew Gardens in Winter!


Also, keep an eye open for other amazing events at Kew Gardens. One that is on my personal list is the Chihuly at Kew: Reflections on Nature exhibit, from April 13 through October 27.

photo from prior exhibit at Kew gardens