Lovely Orchids at Kew Gardens in London

Before the world became consumed by everything related to Covid-19, I simply used to enjoy the beautiful flowers out and about in London.

During February and half of March, Kew Gardens in London hosted its annual Orchids Festival. The 25^th annual orchid festival featured the incredible wildlife and vibrant culture of Indonesia – an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, including Java, Borneo, Papua and Bali. The festival showcased Indonesia’s diverse landscape from tropical rainforests to spectacular volcanos, which was the main focus in the central pond area. Here, the garden staff had created a volcano with orchids!

Did you know that Indonesia has at least 4,000 species of orchids, as well as many other plants that can be found only on certain islands in the archipelago? We’ve only visited Bali so far, but I would love see more of this beautiful country?

Every year, the Orchids Festival at Kew Gardens never fails to impress me. The displays are filled with such vibrant orchids as you can see from my photos. 

Blue Orchids

Although these Phalaenopsis orchids were dyed blue, there really are rare blue orchids in Indonesia. In 1938, British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman collected samples of the extremely rare blue orchid Dendrobium azureum. In 2017, a local Indonesian conservationist discovered examples of this rare species out in the wild.

Z Orchids

Zygopetalum orchids have small blooms and only consist of 15 recognized species. The blooms usually are green and brown striped or speckled and have a velvety lip. They are quite unique!

Pitcher Plants

Bizarre pitcher plants, a type of carnivorous plants, made a good showing at the festival as well. The bulb part of the plants trap the bugs that the plants feed on.

A cute orangutan made from plants amongst the orchids.

Who knew that orchids bloom in nearly every shade of the rainbow and beyond?

Hope you enjoy the orchid photo show!

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Outrageous Orchids at Kew Gardens in London

Who knew that orchids bloom in nearly every shade of the rainbow and beyond?

Every year, the annual Orchids Festival at Kew Gardens in London impresses me! This year was no exception, once I actually got inside the conservatory. When we went on opening weekend, the queue to get inside Kew’s 24^th annual orchid show was more than an hour long, so I had to return on one of my days off work right before it ended.

This year’s theme focused on Columbia’s diverse landscape and its flora and fauna that inhabit it, complete with a gigantic sloth and jaguar replicas. The show included approximately 6,200 orchids, including Columbia’s national flower – the Flor de Mayo (Cattleya trianae).

Did you know that Columbia has more than 4,000 orchid species – more than anywhere else in the world? That’s four times more than what grows in the “tiny” country of Thailand which featured in Kew’s Orchids Festival last year.

Stepping into the Princess of Wales Conservatory, at first, I felt like I was in an arid dessert complete with cacti, but soon the temperatures turned tropical and humid as I moved to the next rooms. I love visiting Kew Gardens anytime of the year, but during the winter months, the orchids seem to add an extra dose of cheerfulness on otherwise grey days. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking more than 200 photos – no surprise there!

Hope you enjoy the orchid photo show!

Which photo is your favorite?

RAINBOW

Seriously, the different shades of orchids look like a tropical rainbow!

Look closely at this red, yellow and white orchid below…doesn’t it look like a Ronald McDonald character in the center?

Columbian artists like Omar Castañeda created original sculptures such as these to feature alongside the Colombian orchids from Kew’s collections.

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Orchid Extravaganza at Kew Gardens in London

Imagine being surrounded and walking amongst brilliant shades of fuchsia, periwinkle and ruby red orchids.

That’s exactly what we did this past weekend at Kew Gardens as we caught the last day of the annual Orchids Festival in London. Unfortunately, I only had a little over an hour to admire all the orchids since I had to work that afternoon, but since we often go to Kew, that was plenty of time to see the highlights.

This year’s theme featured a celebration of Thailand’s vibrant colours, culture and diverse plant life. (Last year's show festival focused on India.) About 1,100 orchid species grow in the wild in Thailand, according to one of the exhibit’s signs. I had no idea! Many of these orchids grow in remote places and can grow in the ground in warm or cool-climate rainforests or even on trees, which are known as epiphytic.

Orchids seemed to fill nearly every inch of the Princess of Wales Conservatory – hanging in pots, planted vertically, suspended in air and even decorating a Thai palace. I took a ton of photos with my new Canon 50mm lens which allowed me to focus on the flowers themselves. I didn’t bother with finding out the names of the orchids, but if you can identify any of them, please feel free to comment.

Enjoy the orchid show!

Besides the orchids, Kew Gardens featured plenty of other spring blooms such as daffodils and crocuses, and even a random pineapple! I'm thrilled that spring is finally here!

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