Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England.

"The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs both the gardens at Kew and Wakehurst Place gardens in Sussex. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is an internationally important botanical research and education institution with 700 staff and an income of £56 million for the year ended 31 March 2008, as well as a visitor attraction receiving almost two million visits in that year.

Created in 1759, the gardens celebrated their 250th anniversary in 2009. The director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants. The organisation employs more than 650 scientists and other staff. The living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is one of the largest in the world, has over seven million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants.

Kew Gardens originated in the exotic garden at Kew Park formed by Lord Capel John of Tewkesbury. It was enlarged and extended by Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, the widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales, for whom Sir William Chambers built several garden structures. One of these, the lofty Chinese pagoda built in 1761 still remains.

The Aquatic Garden is situated near the Jodrell laboratory, the Aquatic Garden and it provides conditions for aquatic and marginal plants. The large central pool holds a selection of summer-flowering water lilies whilst the corner pools contain plants such as reed mace, bulrushes, phragmites and smaller floating aquatic species. There are different collections, the Arboretum which covers over half of the total area of the site and contains over 14,000 trees of many thousands of varieties. The Bonsai Collection, the Cacti collection, the Carnivorous Plant collection, the Grass Garden, the Herbaceous Grounds ,the Orchid collection , the Rose Garden and many others. 

Source of description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Botanic_Gardens,_Kew wikipedia

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Category definition of category park
museum
Material definition of material
water
tree
grass
Neighbourhood Richmond upon Thames (LONDON)
Price definition of price normal : 13.50 student : 11.50 (age <26) retired : 11.50 (age 60<) disabled : 11.50 (%)
UNESCO 1084
Geographical coordinates 51.4746670, -0.2954670
Address TW9 3AB City of London, Kew Green Richmond
Opening date 1759
Area 121.00
More information official website

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