An old Gingko at Kew.

An old Gingko at Kew.

Posted on 7 Nov, 2009 16 comments

The Gingko seems a popular tree so here’s a few more pics.It is frustrating taking pictures of trees with a small camera, I just can’t show the scale of them.The old Gingko is a magnificent beast, you can feel the history when you stand next it.

After the Gingko’s,the best tree for autumn colour at the moment is the Taxodiums.This deciduous conifer’s foliage (needles) turns a rusty red before they drop and it has attractive red/brown bark.They are native to the southeastern US were they grow huge.Worth looking out for.

I’ve added a couple of pics of Fatsia flowers: I like this plant and I think its flowers tend to get overlooked as its thought of only for its foliage.

Spritzhenry has demanded more orchids! so here a very special one, Coelogyne dayana – the necklace orchid- a native to Malaysia Borneo and Sumatra. The plant shown here has 11 flower spikes,the longest being 1m 27cm with 58 flowers on it. There is a better close up picture of the flower on Kew’s website-Kew.org.uk.-along with more imformation and a picture of my colleague who grew it-a brilliant teacher and a lovely lady.

Sorry about the irritating time/date printed on the pictures, I’m not sure how that happened-I’ve pressed the wrong button somewhere!


One of Kew’s ‘Old Lions’ , this Gingko biloba was planted in 1762.


Still looking good for his age


This young chap had his head snapped of in a storm.


The colour was just perfect on this one.


I know I have recently posted pictures of Callicarpa bodinieri,but it looking so good at the moment so here is a few more taken in the Japanese garden.




The flowers of Fatsia japonica.


Flowers, fruit and autumn colour of Poncirus trifoliata “Japanese Bitter Orange” I like this spiny shrub, I seem to remember this plant in flower last March and it has’nt stopped since.


The swamp cypress, Taxodium disticum.There is a few of these at Kew growing beside the lake and pond,wonderful rusty colour.


Pinus wallichiana; the Bhutan pine. Just a few of the cones that cover this large tree.


A welcome splash of late,yellow flowers that will go on until the first frost. ‘Smooth Senna’ Senna septemtrionalis.


A couple of Orchids; this is Phragmipedium sedenii….


..... and Brassia arcuigera.The flowers look like they are dancing!


Coelogyne dayana…a spectacular orchid, so many blooms. These pictures can’t do it justice.


Waiting to be taken for display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.


...and finally an early Narcissus: N. papyraceus var.polyanthos in the Alpine House.

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