The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

This informative volume traces the extraordinary evolution over more than two centuries of Kew's historic landscape, which began with two private royal gardens and expanded through the work of some of our most distinguished garden designers and architects, resulting in an important range of listed buildings of which thirty-nine have survived. These, together with the latest additions to Kew's architectural heritage, are extensively illustrated and described. As much part of this fascinating landscape are the principal figures in Kew's history - among them Queen Caroline, her son Frederick Prince of Wales, his wife Princess Augusta, and George III; Sir Joseph Banks, who organized the first worldwide plant-collecting expeditions; Sir William Hooker and his son, Sir Joseph, who laid the foundations of the present Botanic Gardens; and successive directors who formulated policy and enabled improvements. Kew also played a pivotal role in the development of the British Empire's natural resources, the introduction of commercial crops to the colonies and the compilation of colonial floras. Its collaboration with overseas botanical gardens, alongside its establishment as an international scientific institution are equally crucial and examined in detail. Whilst previous accounts of Kew have relied almost entirely on printed sources, the present volume makes extensive use of archives which support modern Kew's primary objective: "the better management of the Earth's environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant kingdom".

From vibrant orchids to prickly cacti, this color-by-numbers compendium contains over 40 elegant flower designs to complete. This collection is produced in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, one of the most prestigious botanical gardens in the world. It holds extensive archives of botanical art, many of which first appeared in Curtis's Botanical Magazine. These original watercolor designs are featured inside this book, alongside the plants' Latin names. This book also includes a handy color-key on the back-flap, meaning you can flip it out next to your page for easy coloring reference. You can then tone and shade each design with ease and enjoyment and create beautiful botanic masterpieces.

Accompanying DVD chronicles Dale Chihuly's 2005 exhibition of his glass works at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The Wild Flora of Kew Gardens: A cumulative checklist from 1759 details all plants that have ever been recorded growing in a wild state within the Gardens or its periphery (including the towpath, Kew Green and Old Deer Park), and all natives cultivated in formal beds or other plantings, either currently or in the past, for which there is reliable documentation, dating back to the first record of 1759. Nearly 2,000 taxa are included, with citation of literature records and herbarium specimens and accompanying colour photographs. The book notes the past and present distribution of wild species within the Gardens, and demonstrates the extent to which the wild flora of the Kew estate has changed over its 250 years.

This splendidly illustrated book about the world famous botanic gardens at Kew examines their historic impact and importance. With 250 fascinating photographs, many of them previously unseen, it describes the botanical, social, cultural, political and technological developments of the past two centuries and highlights the pivotal role that plants have played in British life. The tale of Kew Gardens embraces a wide range of themes, including: plant hunters, ecologists, explorers and other pioneers; the evolution of building and garden design; influential directors, architects and landscape gardeners; the gardens as a vital public resource; digging for victory - Kew in wartime.

The Hive was the centrepiece of the gold medal winning UK Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo, and from June 2016 takes up its new home within Kew Gardens. Soaring 17 metres in the air, designed by Wolfgang Buttress and created by BDP, Simmonds Studio and Stage One, The Hive is an immersive, multi-sensory experience inspired by ground-breaking UK scientific research into the health of bees. Showcasing British creativity, innovation and leadership in overcoming global challenges, this magnificent aluminium structure draws visitors into the space via a wildflower meadow, as though they are worker bees returning to the hive. Hundreds of glowing LED lights bring this 40 tonne lattice structure to life, while a beautiful symphony of orchestral sounds fills the air, with an atmospheric undercurrent of buzzes and pulses. Triggered by vibration sensors within a real beehive, the sound and light intensity within the pavilion increases as the energy levels in the living hive surge, giving visitors an incredible insight into the ever-moving life of a bee colony.The Hive at Kew is a beautifully illustrated celebration of this fascinating project. The book is divided into three sections, with James Haldane, Design Editor for The Architectural Review focusing first on the origins and the architecture of the Hive and its creation led by artist Wolfgang Buttress. The central body of the book focusses on the immersion of the Hive at Kew and the surrounding wildflower meadow designed to attract a variety of bees. This section includes features on the team behind the Hive, as well as Kew's horticultural experts. Finally, Martin Bencsik of Nottingham Trent University and Kew's Phil Stephenson explain the pioneering research into bee health and communication that inspired the Hive, and how Kew is working to help bees in their vital role as pollinators. Beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs of the Hive itself, its construction, and the wildflower meadow surrounding it, as well as architectural plans of the structure.

Nothing puts a smile on people's faces like flowers. In this compendium, featuring more than 80 dot-to-dot puzzles, nature's greatest creations come to life: from elegant roses and peonies to striking succulents and delicate chrysanthemums. If you like flowers and you enjoy the calming qualities of completing dot-to-dot puzzles, then this is the book for you! By joining the dots in this fantastic collection, you will recreate a host of gorgeous plants. Includes color plates at the end of the book, offering readers the chance to color in their completed puzzles in as accurate a way as possible. The archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, hold works by some of the greatest botanical artists of all time, including Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Georg Ehret, and Abraham Wendel. Each puzzle in this book is based on these exceptional artworks. Following in the footsteps of the highly successful series of colouring books that Arcturus has produced in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew comes this delightful book of dot-to-dot puzzles. Based on the original artworks that appeared in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, the oldest of its kind in the world, puzzle enthusiasts can indulge their passion for joining up the dots and then colour in the plants and flowers that they create. With more than 85 puzzles to choose from, hours of pleasure await. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Publishing and The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have collaborated to create a wonderful selection of botanical-themed arts, crafts and activity books, including origami, dot-to-dots and color-by-numbers.