Press Releases

Hot and Steamy at Kew: Orchid Exotica 

Orchids, orchids everywhere – an explosion of glorious colour greets visitors to Orchid Exotica, Kew’s 2001 orchid festival, opening on 10 February.  

Orchid Exotica, Kew’s seventh annual orchid festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of orchids throughout the world. Many of the most colourful are dramatically presented in Kew’s tropical hothouses, mangrove swamp and steamy rainforest areas, creating an atmosphere worlds away from London’s February gloom.

The beauty and mystery of these intoxicating plants has long captivated plant lovers. Their sensuous shapes, colours and smells are all part of their sexual armoury to attract insects.  As more sumptuous varieties become available commercially, orchids are increasingly in demand for Valentine’s Day, rivalling the traditional rose.

Orchids are found in almost every corner of the world - from South East Asia, Central America and East Africa to Venezuela, Borneo and the Solomon Islands. In the Princess of Wales Conservatory, Kew’s stylish contemporary glasshouse, orchids clamber through the tropical foliage and create stunning focal points around the glistening rock pools.

The conservatory’s two permanent orchid zones illustrate the diversity of the family, introducing spectacular cultivars, and explaining how these were derived from wild species. Kew’s Alpine House features collections of beautiful European orchids. 

Orchids have been cultivated at Kew for nearly 200 years and it is the leading scientific organisation in the world working on these intriguing plants. Orchids are notoriously difficult to propagate and Kew’s pioneering work has helped to save populations of endangered plants, like the Lady’s Slipper Orchid, native to Britain, which was, at one time, reduced to just one solitary plant.

Now, with a greater variety available, more and more gardeners are discovering the excitement of growing orchids. Throughout the festival, dramatic displays by members of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies are featured in the Temperate House and Marianne North Gallery. Specially grown orchid plants and seedlings in glass vials will also be on sale during the festival at Kew’s shops. A series of workshops guide both new and experienced orchid growers through techniques for success.
 
Press preview: 
Friday 9 February, 10.00am to 12 noon. Please come to the Main Gate, Kew Green.
Photocall in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at 11.00am

Kew Gardens is open daily from 9.30am. Glasshouses and galleries close at 5.00pm
For details about visiting Kew phone 020 8332 5655 or check out Kew’s website at www.kew.org. Entry is £5.00 for adults. Kew Gardens is just 25 minutes from Charing Cross by District line tube and 20 minutes by overland train from Waterloo. 

For further press information, photographs and interviews with Kew’s orchid experts, contact Nicola Osmond-Evans or Claire Hyde at the Press Office on 020 8332 5607 or 5619.
Orchid Exotica   10 February – 11 March
Demonstrations, talks and workshops

Orchids for Beginners With Kew’s Orchid Unit team
Tuesday 20 February 11.00am – 3.30pm,  Museum No 1, Kew Gardens
£30 (£25 concessions and Friends of Kew) 
Booking is required: call 020 8332 5626

An introduction to the wonderful world of orchids. Participants learn how to select suitable plants to grow in the home, how to cultivate seedlings and how to grow and maintain orchids. There are suggestions about how to take an interest in orchids further, and all participants will take an orchid plant home.
 

Continuing with Orchids   With Kew’s Orchid Unit team 
Tuesday 27 February  1.00pm – 4.00pm ,  Museum No 1, Kew Gardens
£20 (£18 concessions and Friends of Kew) 
Booking is required: call 020 8332 5626
    
This half-day course is for those who already have experience growing orchids, either successfully or unsuccessfully… Participants can bring along flourishing, failed or problem orchids to Kew’s experts, and find out more about the extraordinary world of orchids and their cultivation. 
 

Orchid flower arranging study afternoon
Thursday, 1 March  1.00pm - 4.00pm,  Jodrell Lecture Theatre, Kew Gardens
£16.00 - price includes admission to the Gardens. 
Tea and biscuits will be served before the programme begins.  
Booking is advisable.  Call 020 8332 5626.

Kew has teamed up with the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies to offer a lively study afternoon. Kew’s orchid expert, Dr Phillip Cribb presents a talk on orchids of subtropical China and Northern Vietnam. Flower designer, Michael Bowyer demonstrates the creation of spectacular flower arrangements using orchids.
 

Behind the scenes tours- free
Tuesdays and Thursdays  13 Feb – 8 March 2.30pm – 3.30pm 
Tours depart from the Victoria Gate Visitor Centre Volunteer Guides’ Desk
Book with at assembly point, 15 minutes before departure. 
Tours are limited to 15 people on a first come, first served basis

Behind the scenes tours are a rare opportunity to visit Kew’s nurseries and learn more about Kew’s orchid research and the orchid family.  The tour takes visitors through the Princess of Wales Conservatory to view the orchid displays and continues on to the nurseries to explore the working glass houses. At the end of the tour, members of Kew’s horticultural team join the group for a question and answer session.
 
 
 
 
 

Half Term activities for children and families
17 - 25 February

Story walks 
Monday, 19  – Thursday, 22 February 
Two sessions daily, 10.30am-12.30pm and 2.00-4.00pm,
£3 per session.  25 children per session.  No booking required. 

Participatory storytelling led by Michael Dacre, starting from Kew Gardens Gallery and continuing through the Gardens. A chance to take part in a magical mystery tour with Kew’s story walker, starting with tales of orchids and other plants. An adventure story takes shape, with interaction from participants, as they wind their way between the tall trees, rolling grasslands and exotic plantings of ‘Orchadia’. 

Orchid mask-making 
Monday, 19  –  Thursday, 22  February 
Two sessions daily, 10.30am-12.30pm and 2.00pm-4.00pm
£3 per session.  25 children per session. No booking required. Kew Gardens Gallery

Mask-making sessions inspired by orchid flower shapes. Orchid growers all over the world create new shapes, colours and patterns every year. Working with Kew’s experienced mask-maker, participants create colourful and exotic orchid masks.
 

Storytelling – free
Saturday, 17 February – Thursday, 22 February 
Saturday-Sunday, 24 - 25 February 1.00pm-1.45pm, 2.00pm -2.45pm and 3.00pm-3.45pm.  Cambridge Cottage Lounge (next  to Kew Gardens Gallery)

Stories for children and families, designed to encourage a greater understanding of the natural world. Kew’s expert storytellers weave tales of wonder around mystical orchids and colourful spring plantings. A break from the visual spectacle, the storytelling sessions provide an aural feast of plants. For children of all ages.
 

Ends-

For further information please contact: 
 

Public Relations
Education and Marketing Department
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond
Surrey, TW9 3AB
UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5607/5619
Email:pr@rbgkew.org.uk