Kew Garden is the biggest conservatory in London. The 2nd biggest is Barbican Conservatory. That's nothing unusual. What's makes it unusual is that its indoor and a few floors above the ground!!! When I went into the conservatory, to even wrap my mind around it, it took some time for me. I didn't expect what I was seeing. I expected a small roof top garden/green house set up with plants, but what I saw was trees and mini ponds with fishes, all in the 3rd and 4th floor, all indoors!!!!! That's plain crazy!!!!
As soon as the conservatory section is entered, there are plants on either sides and there's a pathway at the centre with pathways branching between sections. The whole place is temperature and humidity regulated.
Bang at the centre of the entire conservatory is nice cafe! The space is heated up more than the other spaces with halogen lamps and tea/coffee or champagne is served with macaroons, cakes, sandwich etc at a niche cost. This has to be reserved in advance.
As much as Birds of Paradise astonish me, here's a floral plant called Bird of Paradise from South Africa. The first tall tree here I saw was Dicksomnia Antartica and a Date Palm.
There are 2 ponds here which are filled with several types of fishes and one also has a few mini fountains that make the water flow well! One of the ponds has a stream and a little bridge across it!
Another beautiful plant here was the Blushing Bride, yeah the name sounds romantic! The base of the leaves has a subtle soft pink and a lavender. A plant called Hoya Keri, was just 1 soft supple heart shaped leaf! Bilbergia Pyramidalis is a has a summery lavender/pink floor with a glassy finish on it. I expected it to be sticky, but surprisingly it wasn't!
Some creepers have spread over the wall and pillars from the 3rd floor to the 4th floor. The floral plans were so colorful, indeed. A section was entirely dedicated for cactus and orchids.
Though the admission is free, it is open on very few select days which is regularly updated on its site.
To get there:
Nearest railway station: Barbican
Dedicated to Venkat