Countryside La Vie Magazine

24 May – 28 Sept 2008

Kew’s summer Festival of Trees will take visitors on a thrilling, innovative and educational journey around the gardens, from deep underground to the unseen, green world of the tree top canopy.

Journey from the roots to the leaves
The pinnacle of this festival will be the new Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway, which gives visitors the opportunity to journey from the fascinating root system, learning about the tree’s life underground, to the tree canopy where you can explore biodiversity from above.

The pioneering structure of the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is an ingenious design based on a Fibonacci numerical sequence, often found in nature’s growth patterns. Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, the architects of the London Eye, it has a low environmental impact in keeping with the overall underlying environmental message behind the festival.

Supported by the Hanson Environment Fund, Kew’s Rhizotron (taken from the Greek rhiza, meaning root) will give visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the underground world of trees. The Rhizotron, entered through an apparent crack in the ground, will show visitors the lively natural world beneath the trees, explaining the vital relationships between the trees roots and the micro-organisms in the soil. Then, rising 18 metres into the air, the Xstrata Treetop Walkway will allow visitors to wander through the canopy of sweet chestnuts, limes and broad-leaved oaks to discover birds, insects, lichens and fungi that rely on these huge organisms. This 200 meter long walkway will not only be a thrilling, tranquil and intimate experience, but will also offer a unique birds-eye view of the vast 300 acres of Kew.

Investigate the science
The fun and excitement of the learning experience doesn’t stop there! Visitors will be able to explore various attractions around the gardens to find out about how trees work and how they benefit the environment. There will be a display demonstrating the biodiversity found in a woodland habitat installed in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The exhibition will focus on the flora and fauna found in and on the woodland floor. Large forest trees will form the framework of the display which will include a woodland glade jam packed with bluebells and primroses making a glorious show in spring. The display will include many other native plants which provide food

and shelter for thousands of other organisms and give an insight into the diversity of life supported by temperate woodland. See examples of how fauna use the woodland floor. The homes of foxes and badgers are shown, as are the wasp and wood ant nests. The presence of humankind, vital to the management of woodland, is acknowledged by including coppicing and charcoal burning in the display.

Visitors will also be able to have an intimate look at the fine details of trees and view a unique 3D film which visualises inside a tree-trunk, exploring the complex patterns and structures of how trees live. There will also be a scratch card trail which will lead children around the Garden and focus on interesting facts about trees and their part in providing habitats for a plethora of bugs and birds.

Having completed their journey around the Gardens, visitors will be invited to creatively respond to their experience by writing on recycled leaf shapes hung on a special Kew tree. This will form part of a traditional tree-dressing ceremony aiming to encourage people to think about and express what trees mean to them. Kew will also be exhibiting other works of expression from the winning entries for this year’s ‘Garden Photographer of the Year’ competition. The winning and finalist images will be shown in a purpose-built outdoor exhibition at Kew from May to September 2008. They will also be on the Garden Photographer of the Year website. These artistic photos, displayed outside in the gardens will show the beauty of trees in all their glory as well as exploring 4 other categories of image entries.

From the 30th March 2008 to the 30th August 2008 Monday to Friday Kew Gardens will close at 6.30pm and 7.30pm on weekends. From the 31st August 2008 to the 25th October 2008 it will close at 6pm. Please note closing times are subject to change and that last entry to the gardens is half an hour before the gardens close. Until 31 March 08, admission is £12.25 adults, £10.25 concessions and FREE to children under the age of 17. From the 1 April 08 until the 31 March 09 admission will be £13 for adults and £12 for concession and FREE to children under the age of 17.

Further visitor information can be gained by visiting
www.kew.org, calling 020 8332 5655 or emailing info@kew.org.