The Princess of Wales Conservatory
Special displays and aquaria

Special displays

At the northern end of the Conservatory, there is an ornamental zone dedicated to themed displays as part of the special festivals that take place in the Gardens throughout the year. Using decorative flowering and foliage plants, Kew's horticulturists let their imaginations run wild as they design landscapes from far-off lands, floral spectaculars, or seasonal displays.

Aquaria

In the pools fish are thriving. Downstairs, they can be seen through underwater viewing windows. Adjacent tanks containing freshwater stingrays and other fish, together with water dragons and poison-dart tree frogs - all from from tropical rainforest ecosystems around the world - demonstrate how these creatures interact with the plants around them.

Some while ago, some lizards, including the spiny Acanthosaurus armata, were confiscated under the CITES agreement and donated to Kew. They are used as biological control in the Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Palm House, where they thrive on a diet of insect pests. They are very rarely seen during the day.

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