©FINCH
PUBLISHING,
WORDS
©NATASHA
GOODFELLOW,
ILLUSTRATION
©CLOVER
ROBIN
London in bloom
NEW GUIDE
CHISWICKHOUSE
PlannedbythethirdEarl
of Burlington(1694–
1753),thegardensof
ChiswickHousefollow
boththeItalianateand
EnglishLandscapestyles.
TheConservatoryhouses
a finecamelliacollection,
notablytheexceptionally
rare ‘Middlemist Red’.
FULHAMPALACE
Theformersummerhome
of thebishopsof London
is thecity’ssecond-oldest
botanicgarden.The
palacewallsaredraped
withwisteria,while
beyonda littlered-brick
Tudorgatewayliesa
prettywalledgarden,
recently restored.
KENSINGTON
GARDENS
Withinthese 270 acres,
you’llfindperennialsand
floweringshrubsalong
theFlowerWalk,dashes
of colourin theSunken
Garden,andArabella
Lennox-Boyd’slandscape
aroundtheSerpentine
Sackler Gallery.
COLUMBIAROAD
FLOWERMARKET
EverySunday,crowds
cometo browsea vivid
arrayof flowersand
othergardenessentials,
to thesoundof plenty
of Cockneybarrow-boy
banter.Comewhenit
opensat 8amformore
room,or nearer3pmfor
closing-time bargains.
KEWGARDENS
Builtupsince1759,the
RoyalBotanicGardens
at Kewnowcountsas
themostcomprehensive
botanicalcollectionon
Earth.Highlightsinclude
orchiddisplays,spring
carpetsof bluebellsand
a botanical art gallery.
It’sthoughttherearesomeeightmilliontreesin London,makingit perhapstheworld’sgreenestmajorcity.
Butothercolourswillincreasinglybeaddedto nature’spaletteas springunfolds,andthere’sa newmap
to followits progress.A LondonFloral(£8.50;finchpublishing.co.uk)includestextdescriptionsof morethan
80 parks, gardens and other flower-powered spots. Find our own west-to-east selection of five right here.