Visit 10 countries across six continents at Kew Gardens
The Japanese Gateway at Kew Gardens. Image: Jade Beckett - Credit: Jade Beckett © RBG Kew
If you’ve missed out on your holiday abroad this summer you can get your travel fix at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
The Mediteranean Garden at Kew Gardens. Image: Andrew McRobb - Credit: Archant
In a year when many travel plans have had to change, Kew Gardens is inviting visitors to satisfy their wanderlust by making a trip around the world in one day.
By taking a journey through global collections at these botanical gardens in Richmond, visitors can discover landscapes, plants and architecture from the Mediterranean, Japan, South Africa and California all within less than 24 hours.
The 320-acre landscape will highlight beautiful plants from 10 countries across six continents to transport visitors to these parts of the world through sights, smells, and spirit of place.
At the most biodiverse postcode on the planet, visitors can reconnect with nature and discover a whole world of natural wonder.
The experience in each area will be enhanced by specially-commissioned pieces of art, poetry, prose and illustrations by writers such as Jini Reddy and Dara McAnulty, both longlisted for the 2020 Wainwright Prize for nature writing, and Nina Mingya Powles, shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best first collection of poetry, and illustrator Mark Boardman.
READ MORE: Discover some of Surrey’s best staycation breaks
Conceptual artist Robert Montgomery will also create a signature billboard, which will to welcome visitors along with a large-scale botanical sculpture in the form of a magnificent humpback whale, created by the winners of Netflix series The Big Flower Fight.
Most Read
- 1 A haunting Cotswolds memoir of growing up in a ménage à trois in the 1950s
- 2 5 of the best cycle cafés in Lancashire
- 3 20 of the best places to eat out in St Ives
- 4 How the Goosnargh Gin distillery bounced back from adversity
- 5 Martin Clunes shares his favourite local places in Dorset
- 6 6 waterfall walks in Derbyshire and the Peak District
- 7 20 of the best restaurants in Hertfordshire
- 8 7 scenic coastal walks to try in Somerset (with cafes on the way)
- 9 See inside this £1.5 million modern property in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds
- 10 The best places to visit on a short break in Glossop
Reflections of the adventures RBG Kew staff have experienced in the different countries will also be incorporated into the exhibition.
“Visiting 10 special locations dotted throughout our 320-acre landscape is a perfect way to reconnect with nature after months of lockdown,” says Richard Barley, director of horticulture, learning and operations at RBG Kew. “I particularly recommend a visit to the wonderful Mediterranean Garden, and to the spectacular mountain gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana) representing my home country Australia.”
Another area to explore is RBG Kew’s Japanese landscape with its Garden of Peace, which is reminiscent of a traditional tea garden and the intricately carved wooden panels of the Chokushi-Mon gate, as well as the iconic Great Pagoda.
Travel the World at Kew takes place from August 22 October 16 2020. Web: kew.org/kew-gardens
