Let's start with some roses. I found these growing on one of the arches across the path in the Order Beds part of the garden.

I thought the combination of white with pink blush and yellow was scrumptious. Very sensual.

Ipomoea indica or morning glory climbs up inside the glass of the Waterlily House.

A look at just one 'Saint Louise Gold' flower.

This pink variety is called 'Albert Greenberg'.

In the woodland garden I found these beautiful, double trilliums.

And some single, pristine primroses.

Some water has been trapped on the leaf of a Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla mollis. The Latin name, Alchemilla came about because alchemists used dew drops collected on the leaves in their experiments.

The combination of satin and velvet only makes the colour more stunning.

Another tree with interesting seeds. This is a relative of the native British horse chestnut. Unfortunately I've been unable to find out exactly what the species is called. My best guess is that it's an Indian horse chestnut, Aesculus indica.

In the Secluded Garden there's a green house. That's where I found this pelargonium with scented leaves.

If you think the structure of this flower is similar to that of the pelargonium just above, you'd be right. This is a geranium, a not-too-distant cousin.

I just loved this poppy bud that was literally bursting with life.

This is another type of Columbine. What kind is impossible to say with all the hybrids and cultivars around.

Another tree peony, Paeonia lutea. Lutea means yellow.

The last peony for today is Paeonia suffruticosa, var. ‘Destiny’. With those fluffy white petals it's lovely but the pink smudges really add pizzazz to the flower.

The gosling was grazing and every now and then it would flop down on the grass for a more intense grazing session.

On a smaller scale we have a Two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata. It's the most common ladybird in urban areas in the south-east of the UK. Like most ladybirds it eats aphids. I know who I'm rooting for.

A honey bee in a meadow cranes bill, Geranium pratense in the Rock garden. In the background you can see why the plant is called cranes bill -- the seed pod resembles a very long, thin beak, like that of a crane. Although, since I hail from Germany I want to say "like that of a stork". What do you know, the German common name of the plant is Storchschnabel, Stork bill in English. Funny how that works.

I took a whole series of pictures of the eider. I'm unlikely to ever get this close to one again.

Or at least not until he had unruffled his feathers.

The Rock garden was built up in a way that no ordinary mortal could hope to emulate. Look at the size of those rocks. Buying those today would cost a fortune. There were lots of little water falls all over the place too. It's not hard to see why young people vie for a chance to study horticulture at Kew. The sheer scale and the resources are awe inspiring.

Here be irises. This is the Yellow flag, Iris pseudacorus. Here again Kew is doing something that ordinary gardeners can only admire from afar. The Yellow flag is way too invasive for ordinary garden ponds. But with the space and the labour of Kew it can be grown beautifully.

I believe this is Iris sibirica, 'Perry's Blue'. Irises are often likened to a flock of butterflies. In this picture it's very obvious where that idea comes from.

Some more Iris sibirica. In this picture the division into falls and standards is very obvious. The petals that look like rain coats on top of the falls are the style arms. They protect the flower's style until they can be pollinated. You can also clearly see the dark veining in the throat of the falls.

I love how the sun shines through the delicate, pale blue petals on the top flower in this picture.

A close look at the secret world of bees.

Another bearded iris, possibly 'Langport Wren' but there are a lot of more or less black bearded irises around.