(This blog has been supplemented with facts and blurbs from the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew Suvenir Guide. It's a fantastic introduction to the gardens, it's history, and it's research and conservation efforts.)
On our last day (I think it was our last day) in London, Andy and I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, which I have been wanting to see since I took a course, Teaching About Plants, my last semester of grad school. We barely scratched the surface of the place, but we got to see some, and I most definitely want to go back and see more next time we visit!!
Being wise to the greatness of the guided tour, we signed up for a walking tour. It was a bit rainy, but who cares. Our guide was Mary.
Mary
Mary started us off by showing us this, a giant felled tree which had been carved to show the various parts of the internal working of a tree. This year is the Year of the Tree at Kew, so we saw lots of tree stuff. A sculptor had carved the roots, xylem, phloem, stoma, etc. It was really beautiful, and a fantastic way to show people how a tree "works".
Roots
xylem and phloem
xylem
stoma
From there, Mary took us on a brief tour of the Palm House, which represents a tropical rainforest. It was steamy in there and contained lots of kids, which seemed to make Mary a little nervous. The Palm House
Our guide at the Museum of Natural History had told us about this butt seed at Kew...and there it was, in all it's glory!!!
The plants were originally all potted, but now they are in beds for the most part. The Palm house is heated by boilers which used to be underneath the greenhouse, but were replaced and put elsewhere on the grounds. In place of the boilers underneath the green house, they have a Marine Plant exhibit. 
We left the Palm House and went to the beautiful Waterlily House next door. The waterlily is grown anew every year and they all grow from one plant.
Mary tells us how waterlilies pollinate.
Ok, fine. I'll tell you how waterlilies pollinate. First, I will tell you that one of Kew's directors discovered how waterlilies pollinate. And now, I will quote from the Souvenir Guide, "The flowers open at dusk, when their scent attracts beetles, who spend all night feeding on nectar as the flower closes around them. The next evening, when the flower reopens, the beetles - now covered in pollen - move on to another bloom, pollinating it in return for their 'bed and breakfast'."
There were lots of other plants in the Waterlily House as well. The periwinkle, which Mary is showing us below, has been used for treatment of childhood cancers.
Behind the Palm House is the Rose Garden. You may notice that there are no roses in the rose garden.
That's because.....
There were pretty lavender in the Rose Garden, though.
In the distance, you could see The Pagoda, built in 1762. 
We walked on through some wet grass and muddy spots to see the trees in the area. This tree is very old, one of the original trees planted in the garden around 1762!!
In the Mediterranean Garden, we saw the Pine Nut tree. I'm not sure if that's the exact name, but I like to say "pine nut"...think Best In Show.
Cork Oak
very old olive tree
Our guided tour ended in front of the Temperate House, on which work began in 1859 and was completed in 1899. If I remember correctly, some of the plants in the Temperate House are planted in ground, and others in pots and beds. Mary left us there and we took a stroll through the largest glasshouse at Kew. The Temperate House
king protea - bloomed in 1986 after 160 years of not blooming!
Cestrum fasciculatum
Fuchsia - 'Royal Mosaic'
From the Temperate House, we wandered over to the Evolution House which goes through millions of years of plant evolution.
And then, we went back to the trees!! In honor of The Year of the Tree, Kew has built a tree walk. You climb up the stairs and into the canopy! It's really amazing - you can see all over the gardens from up there! If you stand still for too long, you can also feel the whole thing moving!!
Andy in the Trees
A glimpse at what's below
The Temperate House from above
Back on the ground, you can go "under" the tree to see it's pipes and different critters that live in and around them. It was a really amazing presentation! As I learned when I took the class in Graduate school, and more so when I got to visit, Kew Gardens does a fantastic job of educating the public about plants, their history and importance!! I can't wait to go back!
