Tropical Flowers and Orchids at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Tropical Extravaganza 2010 'Dripping with colour' is on until March 7th. Impressive displays of orchids and other tropical plants are on show in the Princess of Wales Conservatory and in the Lily House. On Kew's website there is a time lapse video of one of the displays being built. Some of the displays are orchid covered pillars reaching towards the top of the glasshouse.
I went to this show on Wednesday after a good lunch at the Glasshouse restaurant, a favourite watering hole near Kew station.
It was a sunny and cold day but inside Kew's glasshouses it felt like summer. I find it an inspiring place to be for the colours of the flowers and the shapes of the tropical foliage especially as many of my silk paintings are close ups of flowers and foliage. I have sketched and painted at Kew on several occasions.

A display in the Kew shop at the Victoria gate entrance.

Orchid diplay in the Waterlily House and below are the reflections.

The next group of photos are all from the main display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory

The photo above shows orchids and the one below shows part of one of the orchid clad pillars.

http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/tropical-extravaganza-2010/index.htm