Another day, another visit to Kew Gardens – and not one, two, three nor four – but five Glasshouses and #barkwatch continues – deep joy …

Solandra maxima

Arenga undulatifolia

Into the Palm House first, on a rather dull morning (I missed both brilliantly bright days earlier this week, one at Petersham Nurseries, the other being a Good Boy and doing some housework, washing and much-needed shopping). But hey, it’s still looking grand and my kitchen floor is shiny shiny clean.

The Palm House was beautifully warm and dripping with moisture and the two robins I saw provided a very beautiful bird song duet.

Chill and still a little iced over, the Lake was an almost perfect mirror.

Perfectly mown, the terrace and Rose Garden left and right – and the Pagoda (below) through another long-sighted avenue.

Grass clippings and the most enormous palm frond in this larger-than-your-usual-skip …

No flowers of course (despite our curiously mild autumn) in the rose garden, but some beautiful displays of hips – Rosa Bonica ’82 (above and below) putting…