A Royal Botanical Treasure

Andrea/Cara, musing today on gardens—specifically the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, as it figures into the plot of my current WIP. It seems fitting, as May is traditionally the month when flowers burst into bloom in the northern hemisphere. But here in the Northeast it’s been a very cold spring and things are way behind schedule (the leaves on the trees are not quite unfurled) so I decided to take a walk through the early history of Kew to brighten a very grey day here.

The seeds for this spectacular botanical enclave were sowed in the 16th century when Henry VII established a palace and royal hunting grounds on a swath of land by the River Thames in Richmond. It became a summer retreat for the royals, which in turn drew courtiers to build their own fancy houses in the area.

The area had a setback under Oliver Cromwell, who sold off much of the royal property. However it was reassembled under William III, and during the 17th century, the first of a succession of eminent English landscape designers began to shape the grounds. William Kent and Charles Bridgeman created the original layout of Kew’s gardens, and later the great Capability Brown added his own signature vision of the ideal Natural World.

By the 18th century, Kew had become the summer residence of the Royal family, who resided in Kew Palace, which had been purchased from a wealthy merchant. Frederick. Prince of Wales, and his wife, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha—parents to the future George III—were not only patrons of the arts but also had an avid interest in gardens. In 1759 they hired William Aiton from Chelsea Physic Garden to create a small “Physick Garden” at Kew, and improvements and experimentation with a variety of plantings made it the leading arbiter of garden design in Britain.

Lord Bute, who had a great interest in landscape design, assisted Frederick and Augusta in envisioning a master plan for Kew. (He also served as a tutor for the young George III.) After George III acceded to the throne, he purchased the Dutch House—a simple brick building now called Kew Palace that still stands on the grounds today—in 1781 to serve as a nursery for his growing brood. His eldest son—“Prinny” for us Regency aficionados—studied botany and botanical drawing there as a child.

But it was the fortuitous friendship that formed between George III and Sir Joseph Banks in the late 1700’s that made the Royal Botanical Gardens such a unique treasure. (I’m a big fan of Banks—I love his curiosity, his sense of adventure, and his sense of fun—excerpts from his diaries of South Seas exploration show a fellow who loved to party with the indigenous people and learn from their local knowledge.) Banks, who went on to be head of the Royal Society, one of Britain’s most august scientific societies, made several expeditions to exotic spots around the globe and brought back many plant specimens.

His original collection is the basis of Kew’s amazing variety of plant life. Today, it’s one of the most important botanical research sites in the world. Its seed bank holds over 10% of wild flowering plant species in the world, including nearly every endangered species. The Herbarium houses over 7 million preserved specimens, and its library holds over 175,000 botanical prints and drawings.)

I love English gardens, but I confess I haven’t the patience to dig around in the dirt or wait for a design to grow in over the years. So I’m happy to simply stroll through the beauty and enjoy the fruits of other people’s labors! What about you? Are you a gardener? If so, a have you a specialty? And lastly, do you have a favorite historic garden?

Comments

[Mary T]

I always found gardening to be hard work, but the results were well worth it. Alas, my gardening days are over, but I have some well established rose bushes and perennials that I supplement with potted plants. Roses, Four-o-clocks, lilies, and hibiscus mostly. They attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and I love that. The bees love them too, but that's okey.

[Any J]

I had the good fortune to visit Kew on a sunny afternoon during my vacation about a month ago. The volunteer guide gave us a bit of the history and an amazing introduction. Thank you for bringing some of that back to mind for me.

I love gardening in my little bit of yard...but admit to dreaming of having a modest little glass house like the Palm House. 😊

[Kareni]

I am not at all a gardener; however, my husband is. I happily eat the fruits (and vegetables) of his labor. I've never been to Kew Garden though it sounds wonderful. I've been fortunate to visit the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island as well as Keukenhof in the Netherlands.

[Anne Gracie]

I love gardens, and used to do a lot of gardening, but since I started writing full-time the poor garden has languished.

I'm a fan of Banks, too -- and he features in most Australian gardens, as "Banksias" which are indigenous flowering bushes beloved of nectar-loving birds and gardeners. There are many many varieties, too.

[Cindy]

Kew is a wonderful garden. I've been there twice, spring and beginning of fall. So different. If I lived near I would get a season pass just to walk through the gardens any time!

[Andrea Penrose]

It's definitely hard work! But sounds like you've created a lovely perennial garden that repays you for all the effort. The hummingbirds and butterflies are wonderful—and so are the bees, who are very important for pollination. I actually enjoy their hum as they buzz around. A sund of summer!

[Andrea Penrose]

I'm with you, Kareni! I'll happily enjoy the views and the fruits of those who enjoy putting in the effort to create gardens . . .and say thank you very much!

[Andrea Penrose]

Anne, writing is our creative labor of love! Gardening requires a lot of time, so hard to do both.

I'm so glad Banks has a lovely family of bushes named after him. He had such a wonderful interest in the natural world and helped popularize an interest in botany in Britain.

[Andrea Penrose]

Lucky you, Cindy! I can imagine that it changes a great deal throughout the seasons—it would be spectacular to be able to see the natural cycle.

[Annette N]

I love gardening. In my past life, I had an enormous yard filled with all the flowers I like, and some I just found to be interesting. I spent a great deal of time caring for things. And sometime I would move things around for a better perspective.

That was then - this is now. My life has changed, and now all my plants are in pots on a patio.

Thank you for this posting. I think it is wonderful that so many people were involved in creating such a treasure.

[Jeanne Behnke]

I'm reading MJP's Wild Child right now. Lots of gardening going on there!! I'm no gardener so it's nice to read about people who are. (By the by - the book is so good - can't put it down.)

[Teresa Broderick]

I love gardening. However this year I'm afraid nothing is happening in mine. It's been a bad year so far personally and on top of that our weather has been truly dreadful. We literally bypassed Spring here in Ireland. Everyone is talking about it. It has been raining since last October. I've never known it so bad. I say bypassed, I have to ask myself to what??? It's still raining. It was sunny one day last week, can't remember the day, and it was fine today but cold. We're expecting torrential rain tomorrow. It's just depressing at this stage.

[Karin]

One of my favorite gardens is Skylands Manor, the New Jersey State Botanical Garden, which is fortuitously located in the town I grew up in! The manor house was built during the Great Depression, by someone who imported bits and pieces from all over Europe to create a faux-Tudor looking manor house. He also imported trees and plants from all over the world, and the landscaping is beautiful. You can see some photos of it here: http://njbg.org/gardens.shtml
I am a perennial gardener, with lots of daylilies, oriental lilies, astilbe, columbines, and peonies. Right now is the best time of year because the lilacs, wisteria and viburnum are all blooming. I buy plants for their smell and sometimes because I love the names-so I've got foxglove, Jacob's ladder, Solomon's Seal, bleeding heart, lily of the valley, and Turk's Cap lilies. And also herbs like lavender, rue, rosemary, thyme, etc.
I never get tired of touring gardens and arboretums either! I try to visit them everywhere I travel.

[Lorraine]

When we traveled around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales in 2004, I had a great deal of trouble persuading my husband to visit various gardens - he does NOT like gardens. He made an exception for Kew Gardens because he wanted to get a photo of himself in front of the Kew Gardens flagpole.

His family lived close to the Copper Canyon logging road and when the tree that was destined for Kew was transported on two logging trucks (with a long space in-between the two of them) my m-i-l took her boys over to watch it go by. She kept the article and photo from the newspaper and gave them to my husband before we left for England.

We got the photos at Kew (breaking a few rules to do so!) but I don't regret it as they've now removed the flagpole as it was becoming unsafe to use it. If you google Kew Garden flagpole there are many pictures - including one showing it on the two logging trucks.

We still haven't properly seen Kew as that was such a hot day we abandoned it and took a boat up the Thames to Hampton Court Palace and then went all the way back to London on the river - the perfect way to spend a very hot day in England! I loved seeing all the private gardens along the river.

[Sue McCormick]

I have always had a garden until the last few years. Alas, I'm not reduced to some African Violets in the dining room. (sometime, being 90 is not-so-much-fun). But I still enjoy reading and hearing about gardens.

As I have mentioned before, I grew up within reach of the Missouri Botanical Gardens (Shaw's Garden) in my home town of St. Louis. It fulfills some of the same functions as Kew Gardens, but doesn't have the same illustrious planning behind it.

[Sue McCormick]

"not" in the above should have read "now"

[Andrea Penrose]

I think gardening is hugely interesting and creative—and I'm in awe of people who have the vision and the patience to bring such beautiful places into bloom.

Patio pots still allow color and creativity—and are a lot less work! So that's not a bad transition.

[Andrea Penrose]

Mary Jo's books are all so good! And yes, hard to put down!

[Andrea Penrose]

Karin, your garden sounds amazing! You must love sitting in it and taking joy in what you've made with your hands and your imagination.

[Andrea Penrose]

What a delightful Kew story, Lorraine. Thanks for sharing!

[Andrea Penrose]

Sue, I think you've earned a respite from digging around on a hot summer day. Garden is hard work!

The Missouri garden sounds lovely. I really like those places that try to preserve traditional species, and serve as caretakers for for future generations.