it's raining it's pouring!

I woke up this morning to the sound of fall/winter/spring in the pacific northwest ... rain (and lots of it!)  That being said, I wanted to take the time to share some photos from a recent trip I took to Kew Gardens in London England.  Kew had to be one of the most spectacular gardens I have ever visited.  They had huge victorian glass houses with some of the best palm and succulent collections imaginable.  Today I'm going to feature the house palm!!!  I could go on and on and on about this place, but seeing is believing in this case.  The pictures speak for themselves .... (I was so excited to go inside I didn't bother to appreciate how beautiful the outside of the house of palm was!)

This is the worlds largest indoor cycad according to the folks at kew gardens....

I tried to get artistic with this one :P

Seeing the House of Palm was an absolute dream of mine!! Kew had a few other surprises in store ... namely the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This is the most complex of all the glasshouses according to garden staff. The conservatory houses the "wet tropics" and the "dry tropics"gardens. 

Here I am outside at the entrance to the conservatory admiring the agave and opuntias

It looks like this agave is smiling :)

These plants are actually outside under the cover of the conservatory entrance

This agave attenuata was spectacular!

Agave blooms always look so weird! ( agave victoriae-reginae?)

Pineapples!!!

Echium love in the conservatory

Lastly, here are some photos from walking around the outside gardens.....

This glasshouse was full of water lilies and bromeliads

A majestic gazebo

I believe this was once a royal residence of some kind

The garden out back

The english sure know how to garden!

This is a faux building in the mediterranean garden section

Olives! I love the foliage on these trees! Ever since going to europe I have been lusting over olive trees in the local nurseries.

I believe this was the temperate house!

Hopefully this made a nasty rainy day just a little bit brighter!!