Today I’m at Kew’s Royal Botanical Gardens, in the heart of leafy, affluent west London, ready to be transported away from European winter gloom to the sultry and exotic climes of Asia. And which one of us can fail to be moved by the delicate beauty of an orchid?
Yes, the annual Orchid Festival at Kew is now in its 25th year and, judging by its previous efforts, the 2020 display won’t fail to disappoint. This year, the powers that be at Kew have chosen to dedicate the theme to Indonesia and, having visited this astonishing archipelago myself (it has more than 17,500 islands!) I feel I am in for a treat.
I am not wrong. Thousands of Kew’s staff and volunteers have spent 3 weeks (around the clock) transforming the Prince of Wales Conservatory into an exotic paradise and as I walk through the building, I am overcome with the result.
My senses literally feel under assault - the perfume, the colour, the warmth of the air around me and the bird sounds. I am surrounded by thousands of vibrantly coloured orchid - red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and (to my astonishment) blue and memories of a journey through Java, Bali and Lombok 20 years ago, come flooding back.
The exotic array of species I am seeing overwhelms me. I read that over 5,000 kinds of orchids exist in Indonesia (along with some other unique wildlife, only found in that archipelago) and The Prince of Wales Conservatory is literally bursting to capacity.
Colour and sound abound. It’s crowded with visitors, even though I’ve deliberately chosen to arrive on a weekday morning. (One of the staff later tells me that at the weekends it can get “rather busy” - don’t you love English understatement?)
As I walk along the paths, masses of orchid blossoms hang overhead and beside me. I reach out and touch the delicate flowers...every single species is extraordinarily beautiful. Continuing, I arrive at a central pond, which has a dramatic display around it - life-sized animals (including orangutans and monkeys)
As well as the festival (open in the day) Kew is pushing the boat out with some after-hour events, featuring Indonesian music and cuisine, as well as talks by experts (these talks by experts, by the way, are held year-round and really worth attending). A friend of mine also went on the Orchid Nursery tour, since she owns several and wanted to pick the brains of the horticulturists.
hanging from the ceiling, which appear to me to be made out of earth and moss (though I could be wrong) and an erupting volcano (made up of orchid blossoms). I know that Indonesia is home to many volcanoes (I’ve climbed one) and so this, I feel, is a particularly nice touch.
Festival entrance is free, once you’ve paid for your entry ticket (£12.50 and cheaper for children, senior citizens and carers). However, I would recommend booking a timed slot, otherwise you might end up having to queue outside (and it could be raining) before you’re allowed in. You can do this online, at Kew’s website...and if you have trouble, as I did, then one of their helpful staff will aid you over the phone.
It’s easy to get to Kew by public transport - I took the London Overground but it’s also on the Underground (district line). From there, it’s an 800 metre walk down a beautiful street, lined with period houses and charming, independent stores (including a nice pub, wholefood store and cafe).
The Orchid Festival has been extended another week, and is now running until 15th March, so hurry up and book up! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one!
Royal Botanical Kew Gardens
Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE
Tel: 020 8332 5655
https://www.kew.org/