Kew Gardens in Winter.

Kew Gardens in Winter.

“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” — RUMI

I always think of the famous quote by Camus when it comes to winter, and an invincible spring, but it is to Rumi that I turn now, echoing the same thoughts taking a garden history tour at Ham House, last week of November.

She may be, I say to my guests, looking rather like a tattered ballgown, but beneath, beneath the sleeping beehives, the bare apple trees - the magic is stirring. The spring bulbs are making their way to the sun. The garden tours may be done for the year, but gardens I cannot live without. This week, a free day, my heart knew it needed to be in one.

Many travellers come to London in December to experience Christmas as only London can deliver. Honestly, when it comes to Christmas, I don’t want to be anywhere else.

Kew gardens has it’s own Christmas delight, a spectacular night time walk through the garden, magically lit - it is spellbinding, cold but spellbinding. Mandatory hot chocolate required.

I wanted Kew before the light faded. Alighting from the station to the quaintest, chocolate box view. Kew is more than just the famous garden. A village atmosphere; there is the greengrocer, and here is the florist. A handy pub right next to the platform and The Kew Greenhouse café which always transports me back to the times when Mom and Granny took me out for a scone and a milkshake. It’s a memory kindling sort of place.

The walk from the station to Victoria Gate has many a beautiful house I would imagine I could live in.

The Royal Estates of Kew was transformed into an exotic garden by the 1st Baron of Tewkesbury, later enlarged by Augusta, widow of the Prince of Wales. During the late 1700’s unique features such as the Pergola were added and the garden further enriched by King George III, who aquired ‘The Dutch House’ as a nursery for his children. This is now known as Kew Palace and lies within a short walk from Elizabeth Gate.

Kew Palace. Image courtesy of Kew Gardens.

We were few on this frosty day. The brighter the sun in winter, the colder the air. Around me groups of school children thought nothing of the temperature; they were on adventures to find lost treasures and identify plants that never seen before. Learning facilities are plentiful here and children are encourage to explore; within bounds as the flower beds and wildlife are not for playing.

Interesting feature in the Lake.

So what is it like to walk around Kew at winter? Quiet. I did hear the sound of a lawnmower somewhere in the distance, and of course the giggling children. Otherwise quiet, slashed by the birdsong. Winter for me is always about the cries of the crows - they personify the beautiful bleakness of it all.

Not so much the squawking of parakeets. These lime green streaks on bare branches are foreign and cheeky.

A Murder of Crows. It seems perfect in the wintery, Shakespearian, Dickensian scenes of an English winter garden that they should, like grumpy judges, balk and scratch, unafraid. The flock of swans on the lake are angels in comparison. The water looks cold, geese sleeping on the bank beneath a willow already sprouting leaves.

Russet, amber and gold - gardeners preparing the beds for spring.

It is not so much seeing what is new, but being in what is already there. The bones of the garden lie bare and the designs, created over many years, is simpler to follow without distraction of blossom or bloom. The Treetop walkway lends magnificent views through leafless trees over the garden.

To appreciate what is there, in winter, in her own right. To know, that beneath the ground, the next season is preparing for a riot of colour to come. And as I walk, it is so calming. The cold will eventually force me into one of the many cafés (as if I need to be forced) for warmth and something cakey. Or soupy. Or a hot dinner which is too early, but pie and mash?

Comfort on a plate, and the final reward? Browsing all the goodies in the shops.

Celebrating Christmas.

Hours of interesting books to peruse. Plants to choose, presents to buy. A full day’s pleasure in the midst of winter. In a garden.

One of the most beautiful on earth.
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