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Spring at Kew

Credited to RBG Kew (four to left). The Trustees of The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (right)

The gardeners at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew have been busy. Over 5 million bulbs have been planted and are expected to burst into color in mid-March and early April. According to the flowering period timetable, the Dutch crocus might have mostly finished, but the Tenby daffodils and tulips are just emerging.

One of my favourite lesser known places to visit in Kew is the Marianne North Gallery. Miss North was a world explorer and painter in the 1800’s. After an exhibit of her botanical paintings in London in 1879, she decided to ask the Royal Botanic Gardens if they would like to house her paintings in a permanent display and she would pay for the building. They eagerly agreed and the result of which is a two story house with a verandah. When you enter through the main hallway, there are two double-height gallery spaces and the entire walls are covered in vivid colorful paintings of every possible exotic flower.

Miss North hung all of the paintings herself in geographical order each one framed in timber. After her initial project was complete, she was inspired to travel to South America, the Seychelles, and Chile to paint even more flowers and plants. In total, there are 832 of her oil paintings which show over 900 species of plants. Kew gardens are gorgeous, but Miss North’s work is never to be forgotten.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Richmond
Surrey TW9 3AB
http://www.kew.org/
24 hour Information Line: 020 8332 5655
Adults £13
Concessions £12
Children under 17 (accompanied by an adult) Free

Please scroll down for other great stuff to do on a day out in Kew.

Kew – Tikki Patchwork

Also when visiting Kew, make sure to take an ever so slight detour off the main path to the gardens to visit one of London’s only quilt shops. Formerly known as Stitch in Time, it has now been taken over by new management and renamed Tikki Patchwork. The result is a great shop has been turned into a fantastic one.

The white walls and generous lighting make the colorful shop sparkle. They have an excellent display of quilting fabrics, notions, books, and patterns. The ladies who own the shop are very helpful and friendly. When I used to visit the shop a few years ago, I was often the only customer. On my last visit, I was never the only customer and I must have poked around in there for an hour.

♥ Extremely Crafty Tip ♥ – This is a Kew must see.


Tikki Patchwork
293 Sandycombe Rd
Kew Gardens
Greater London
Surrey TW9 3LU
Tel: 0208 948 8462
http://www.tikkilondon.com/
Make sure to check out their evening and weekend classes too.

Kew – Butcher

When in Kew, stop by the butcher located two doors down from the Kew tube entrance. Often there are lines outside the door waiting for the scrumptious pork pies, Cornish pasties, and sausages. I love to buy one of their warm steak and cheese pies and eat it on a nearby old fashioned bench. They are absolutely wonderful. So wonderful that every few months, I rush to the butchers after work to buy two dozen pies for storage in my freezer. If guests are coming for dinner and I have to work late, the easiest thing is to pop a few of these in the oven.



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© 2007–2009 Michele Young