Arcadian Times

The Queen and Prince Philip at Kew

May 5th, 2009, The Queen and Prince Philip visited Kew to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Queen was greeted as the Royal car swept into Kew Gardens by school children from the nearby Kew Green Preparatory School. Kew officials and the police very kindly and generously, spontaneously allowed some of the children into the gardens to see the Queen arrive.

Back in 1759, Princess Augusta, mother of King George III planted a nine acre garden in the grounds of Kew Palace. The garden evolved into the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew that now has an area of 300 acres. Majestically set by the side of the Thames, the gardens are at the forefront of modern botanical scientific research.

To celebrate the 250th anniversary, and to mark the occasion a Ginko tree was planted with the Queen and Prince Philip helping by shovelling some dirt to the base of the newly bedded tree, with the help of Tony Kirkham head of the Arboretum. The Duke of Edinburgh planted a Wollemi pine – rediscovered in 1994 in Australia which had thought to be extinct. To also celebrate the occasion the Queen was presented with a new white-flowered English musk hybrid thornless rose specially cultivated for the anniversary celebration.

Future plans for Kew include access to the gardens by boat and there is an idea to construct a walkway over the River Thames, linking Kew to Syon House.

Article: Arcadian Times