Go behind the scenes with Kew blogs
Keep up to date with what's happening at Kew, including updates from the teams working in the gardens, and our science and conservation teams working in the UK and around the world. Browse the latest posts below, or use the drop down list to visit your favourite blog for the latest news.
Working together to cultivate and protect Ascension's unique plants
By: Marcella Corcoran - 08 Mar 2013Ascension Island, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is home to seven surviving unique plants, many of them threatened with extinction in the wild. Marcella Corcoran reports on a horticultural training workshop for conservationists on the island.
- 11 likes
- 2 comments
Celebrating David Livingstone's Bicentenary
By: Lorna Cahill - 19 Mar 2013To celebrate the bicentenary of African explorer David Livingstone, the Archives team reveal his connection to Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and how you can see more of his letters online.
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From South Africa to the UK
By: Steve Ruddy - 05 Mar 2010Steve posts about shipping plants from South Africa to the UK and his anxiety for their safe arrival.
- 11 likes
- 2 comments
Meet Kew's Alpine & Rock Garden Team
By: Richard Wilford - 20 Sep 2010Meet the team who will be writing the Alpine and Rock Garden blog and find out about the areas of Kew Gardens that they look after.
- 10 likes
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Tapa cloth and the forgotten women of the Bounty mutiny
By: Mark Nesbitt - 30 Sep 2010A visitor to Kew sheds light on tapa cloth made 170 years ago by her Polynesian forebears.
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The 'tanghin ordeal'
By: Charlotte Rowley - 20 Oct 2010Read about the toxic plant used in poison ordeals in Madagascar as described by the botanist Charles Telfair in 1829.
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Settling into the Archives: catch up with our budding archivist
By: Sarah Cox - 17 Dec 2010Kew's Archives Graduate Trainee, Sarah, blogs about her fascinating work and the new skills she is gaining three months in.
- 10 likes
- 2 comments
Forests and climate change in Latin America
By: William Milliken - 18 Mar 2011William Milliken explains how Kew’s science programme is helping to address the issues in this part of the world.
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The parasitic purple toothwort, Lathraea clandestina, is flowering now.
By: Richard Wilford & Katie Price - 29 Mar 2011The purple flowers of the parasitic Lathraea clandestina, known as purple toothwort, mysteriously sprout from the ground in the Woodland Garden.
- 10 likes
- 3 comments
Ready for your close-up: getting the most out of macro flower photography
By: Phillip Smith - 15 Apr 2011We love close-ups of flowers. But they are often a bit out of focus, or not very well lit – just not as exciting as you think they ought to be. How can this be improved?
- 10 likes
- 2 comments
Behind closed doors - Kew's conservation studio
By: Sarah Cox - 10 Aug 2011In her farewell post, Sarah blogs about her final project at Kew, during which she gets a backstage pass to the conservation studio for a day!
- 10 likes
- 0 comments
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Kew news
Elderflower surprise
10 Jun 2013
Scientists at Kew Gardens have discovered compounds new to science in ordinary elderflower drinks.
Speciation systems on Lord Howe Island
06 Jun 2013
Lord Howe Island provides evidence in plants for the ‘syngameon hypothesis’ of adaptive evolution.
Olympic rings spectacular unveiled
18 Apr 2012
A floral spectacular is in bloom in front of the Orangery at Kew Gardens to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games.
David Attenborough's Kingdom of Plants 3D now available on DVD and Blu-ray
13 Mar 2012
Filmed over the course of a year at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kingdom of Plants 3D provides a fascinating new look at plant life using stunning 3D time-lapse filming techniques. Own your personal copy today following the DVD and Blu-ray release.
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The beginnings of Missouri Botanical Garden: Your piece omits to mention that Henry Shaw was born in Sheffield, England. It is interesting to spe ... by: John Edmondson
The beginnings of Missouri Botanical Garden: Thanks for commenting, Victoria. Missouri Botanical Garden is indeed an inspiring and admirable plac ... by: directors' correspondence team
The beginnings of Missouri Botanical Garden: It is wonderful to read these words from a modest man who created not just a delightful botanical ga ... by: Victoria Bergesen
