Internationally known, and primarily a botanic institution, Kew's delightful and varied grounds cover 300 acres and offer something of interest for everyone. Most of the plants are wild species rather than garden varieties, but it is a perfect place to come and discover new plants, impeccably labelled and well grown.

Palm House at Kew Gardens was built to house the exotic plants and flowers that were being discovered all over the British Empire. This Victorian cast iron greenhouse is huge at 66 feet high, 100 feet wide and over 360 feet long.

There is also the Queen's Garden in the style of a 17th century garden, a formal Rose Garden and a Heather Garden. The Grass Garden has over 600 grasses. There are 2,000 species in the Herbaceous Garden alone, and there are the Cambridge Cottage Gardens.

The Kew website has a wealth of information on the gardens and you can also take a virtual tour at the digitalworld site (you will need the Quicktime plugin for this to work).