Press Release

A Tropical Extravaganza!

3 February – 4 March 2007

If flying to the Tropics this February is slightly beyond your means then visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew where you can experience the rainforest in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which will be crammed with vibrant exotic flowers in a Tropical Extravaganza!

Tropical rainforests cover 6% of the Earth's surface and contain more species of plants and animals than the rest of the world put together. For example, just 1 hectare of Amazon rainforest can contain up to 1,500 different plant species, as many as in the whole of the UK ! Over 2,000 tropical forest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties yet only 4% of the world's tropical rainforests are protected and we lose 100-150 species every day – 5 species per hour due to tropical deforestation.

Kew 's Tropical Extravaganza will create an opulent, exuberant display that will carry an important conservation message. The structural columns of the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which are clothed in lush tropical climbers, will be enhanced for the month-long festival with hundreds of orchid flowers. In the wild more than 20,000 species of orchid grow on trees, and at the centre of the display a large fallen tree ‘drips' with epiphytic orchids falling like a curtain and reflected in the tropical pool below creating a steamy slice of the tropics. At eye level, Orchid Bowls will be filled with perfect pure white, pink and purple display Phalaenopsis cultivars.

For the first time, the masses of colourful orchids will sit alongside other brightly coloured tropical plants adding extra dimensions in colour and form to the display. Over 1,500 green, white, red and pink Anthurium, with its alluring and strange flower structure, will accompany the handsome foliage of Maranta and intriguing forms of the Bromeliads.

Around 300 new species of orchid are described each year. The two permanent Orchid Zones focus on rare and unusual species of Paphiopedilum, Oncidium, Phragmipedium, Dracula, Epipdendrum, Pleurothallis, Phalaenopsis, Vanda, and Cymbidium orchids providing ‘up close' encounters with the extraordinary diversity of the orchid family.

On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the festival you will also have a rare opportunity to explore the different glasshouse environments used to rear tropical plants in Kew's tropical nurseries, normally out of bounds to the general public, on special tours given by Kew's Volunteer Guides. On the tour you will get an insight into the techniques they use to care for the diverse collection of tropical plants. Following the tour there will be an opportunity to meet the Kew experts for a question and answer session or an orchid potting demonstration.

To accompany the festival, a stunning exhibition of images commissioned from the UK's top photographers will fill the Nash Conservatory exhibition space to celebrate the success of Kew Magazine and give a striking visual insight to Kew's horticultural, science and conservation work.

Further Information

The behind-the-scenes tours start from the White Peaks Shop on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the festival.

1.00, 1.20, 1.40pm
45 minute tour followed by 15 minute Q & A session
Cost: £5 per person

2pm
45 minute tour followed by 30 minute potting demonstration
Cost £15 per person

Tours are limited to10 places per session and tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis therefore advanced booking is recommended: please ring 020 8332 5604 or email tours@rbgkew.org.uk.

For further press information please contact Lauren Bird, Oliver Basciano or Anna Quenby in the RBG Kew Press Office on 020 8332 5607 or email pr@kew.org.

Images can be downloaded at http://www.kew.org/press/images/orchids.html. Contact the press office for a username and password.

Notes to Editors

Kew Gardens opens daily during the February at 9.30am and closes at 5.30pm. Adult admission £9.50, concessions £6.50, children under 17 FREE.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org.

For further Press information please contact: