Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

My mum and I visited Kew Gardens last week. We were lucky with the weather - it was sunny all day. The entry was GBP 11.75 per person but if you come here by train, don't forget to take a voucher book at any Train station - you will get GBP 3 off per person!

This year they opened the Pagoda (first time after 31 years). It cost 3 GBP to go to the top. You have to buy the tickets for Pagoda in advance when you entre the Gardens and they offer you a specific time (I think there are 30 minutes intervals). There is 253 steps which you have to climb but the views are worth it. When we got back down we got a certificate that we climbed on top :)

My favourite was the main pond at the far end of Kew Gardens. Mum loved the Japanese corner and the 'glass houses'.

All in all it was a lovely day and I would definitely go there again!

The acres of landscaped gardens and glasshouses full of unusual plant displays at Kew provide enough variety to keep green-thumbed visitors fascinated for days. The rest of us (especially those with children) probably will want to devote two or three hours to simply walking the grounds. A fun fact for bored children: look for the largest flagpole in the United Kingdom, located on the garden grounds.Kews elaborate glasshouses are full of surprises. In the basement of the Palm House there is a kid-sized aquarium exhibit. It is not the high tech London aquarium, but the Kew exhibit is just right for a ten-minute visit. The aquarium thoughtfully provides step stools which children can use to get eye-to-eye with the fish.Kew Gardens glasshouses have some record holdersthe worlds oldest potted plant is here. Anyone who has killed numerous house plants will be amazed that this plant has survived since 1775. Kew also has the worlds tallest indoor plant (in 1985 it was 80 feet tall). Visiting children may or may not be impressed with all the plants, but kids invariably climb the spiral staircases up to the elevated walkways which encircle the top of the glasshouses. If you lose track of a child, be sure to look up.Kews Evolution House is another favorite of children and many adults. These evolutionary plants literally crawl out of primordial ooze that bubbles up near the entrance to the exhibit. The Evolution House is an animated presentation of freshman high school plant biology, cleverly depicting the evolution of plants from the Earths creation up to modern day. While touring the Evolution House, kids can look for dinosaur tracks and spot eagle-sized dragonflies perched on prehistoric tree trunks.

I enjoyed everything about the gardens from the tropical plants, to the amazing collection of trees, to the indoor pond full of water lilies. I absolutely will be returning the next time my husband and I go to London. It is easy to get to using public transportation. A MUST SEE for anyone who enjoys gardening.