Davies Alpine House at Kew Gardens – and the Rock Garden too – wandering through Kew today

Continuing with my wanderings through Kew, leaving the Duke's Garden behind and passing the emerging grass borders, we head to the Davies Alpine House and the serpentine Rock Garden beyond. More peonies and iris, more intense colour and floral fireworks - though this last specimen, Viburnum macrocephalum Sterile is more of a giant snowball!  

Duke’s Garden at Kew – Iris, Alliums, Geum and some florid peonies – and on to the Davies Alpine House. Continuing my constitutional around Kew Gardens

This last was labelled Paeonia suffruticosa, no more, and is magnificent. Loved as much as me by the iridescent beetle that was in an ecstasy of pollen in the centre of each blossom. Leaving behind this garden and passing by the emerging grass borders, the Davies Alpine House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory beckon.…

Kew Palace, the Queen’s Gardens and a Laburnum-swagged pergola

Bright blue skies, golden Laburnum, lilac-pink Cercis siliquastrum, snowballs of Viburnun opulus, pale blue iris, lavender-grey lilacs and a lot of beautiful greenery. A bee-line today straight over to Kew Palace and the gardens behind - a sunken herbalists garden and a more formal parterre. Around the former, an arched pergola wrapping around three sides…

A little early May tour around RHS Wisley – Rockery, Woodland and Rockery again…

A tour through the Surrey gardens of RHS at Wisley, taking us from the entrance (and before we even get going we have to stop and gawk at the Clianthus Kaka King!) before skirting along above the water lily pond to see the Wisteria and Roses enjoying the warmth of a long brick wall -…

Teetering before the fall but still beautiful, the Cherry Blossom Empire @kewgardens

The Cherry Walk at Kew Gardens, coming up from the Mediterranean Garden and heading towards the roses and Palm House. A couple of weeks ago, this path was lined with pink and white confections, flurries of blossom in candyfloss shades - but now green is the theme. Yet... There is still rather a lot going…

A walk around, under and through this remarkable tree – the Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum at Kew – a little video…

A few minutes to explore this remarkable tree, at the nadir of pristine lilac-pink blossom, leaves just pumping up from remarkable miniatures and the undoubted star of the Mediterranean Garden at Kew Gardens today. There was birdsong, but also the planes, so perhaps you might lower the volume on your whatever-it-is-you're-watching-this-on device!  

Kew Gardens – some other stuff that isn’t a Prunus… Cornus nuttallii, Cercis siliquastrum, Viburnum carlesii @kewgardens #springwatching

Cornus x nuttallii x florida It was cherry-heaven all the way this morning, especially as I hadn't planned on calling in and my time was short, and the cherries were the thing. Though I rather begrudged the fact that it was cloudy and grey - I'd hoped to call in on Thursday at the tail…

My own personal and private Hanami – Cherry Blossom Festival at Kew @kewgardens #CherryBlossom #Hanami

I had to rearrange my commitments this morning which gave me an unexpected hour or two to call into Kew Gardens to investigate the Cherry Blossom. An early visit meaning I was the first to park outside the Victoria Gate and one of the first to go through the gates.I was guaranteed the Cherry Walk…

Spring begins to fizz at Sissinghurst Castle – and the whole show will just get better and better…. @Sissinghurst NT #SpringWatching

The gates open at 11am sharp and I'm the first to hand in my Shilling token (the price Vita originally charged visitors) to the helpful attendants and I'm flying through, skirting the lawns in front of the Tower and into the woodland Delos garden, before hitting the White Garden (bare bones at this time of…