The Rock Garden

There's a lot to see at Kew, and perhaps because of this the rock garden is often overlooked; it's certainly not as busy as some other parts of the gardens, which is a shame, as it is packed with interesting plants. THey're mostly small, lots of alpines of course (and the Davies Alpine House is right next door, so you can see colourful blooms almost any time of year), and all made more interesting by the presence of some impressive waterfalls and streams to create the feeling of being in a rocky valley. And as a bonus, in summer and autumn, there's a wonderful display of scented salvias along the wall to the east of the rock garden - just brush your hands through the foliage for a real treat.