Kew Gardens 28th annual Orchid Festival has taken over the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Inspiration this year comes from the beauty and biodiversity of Madagascar which is home to over 1,000 species of orchid. We enjoyed leaving the crisp winter air of the gardens and entering the 24C heat to view the 5,000 orchid plants that make up this year’s displays. The flowers cascade over walls, along bridges and are erected into tall towers and arches to spectacular effect.

As orchids grow on every continent on the planet (apart from Antarctica) surely orchid enthusiasts abound and will be delighted by the Angraecum sesquipedale”, the orchid commonly known as Darwin’s orchid or the Malagasy star orchid.  In relation to the length of its nectary, Sesquipedale means “one-and-a-half feet” although it is actually around a foot long (30cm). In 1862 Darwin hypothesised that such a flower could only be pollinated by a creature with a similarly long tongue that evolved alongside the flower and could reach the last drop of nectar at the bottom. Four decades later the theory was eventually proven to be accurate when a long-tongued Hawk Moth was discovered, its scientific name is Xanthopan morganii praedicta, which is Latin for ‘predicted moth’ in honour of Darwin.

Of Madagascans 10,000-12,000 plant types roughly 1 in 10 are orchids, most of which are endemic. While you will see a stunning array of orchids on display here you will also be lead on a journey learning about a land of striking contrasts, where some of the most unique wildlife on earth can be found.

Sculptures of Madagascan wildlife have been created using natural materials and sit among the floral displays. The iconic ring-tailed lemurs of Madagascar are perched in trees and Chameleons are gathered around the pond with a mobile of flies above waiting to be devoured with the chameleon’s long tongues.

Fun fact: There are 67 species of Chameleons that are found in Madagascar and nowhere else on earth – this being around half of the world’s known Chameleon species.

One can easily miss certain areas of this exhibition. When the initial flurry of the bigger displays and the riot of colour dies down be sure to continue down the paths to the greener areas where you will see the rather creepy looking Aye Aye Lemur, the world’s largest nocturnal primate, with its rodent teeth and very long fingers. In contrast there is the stunning Sunset Moth which is as beautiful as you would imagine.

Kew has been working with Malagasy partners based in Madagascar since 1986. Being one of the most biologically valuable countries in the world Kew has a Madagascar Conservation Centre, their only overseas office. A team of 40 people from Kew are based in Madagascar working with local partners to catalogue and describe the countries flora, conserve rare species. Hence the show concludes with set up of a typical Field Research Camp.

Orchids After Hours returns with the opportunity to see the horticultural installations by night during which there will be special events such as music from exuberant Malagasy band, the Boriza Brothers, live performances from artisit, singer/songwriter and performer Rasaonaivo Hanitrarivo and poet and illustrator Vaonarivo Brown. Visitors will also be able to purchase festival food from authentic Malagasy recipes curated by Malagasy chef Lilia Andrianovy of Lilia’s Kitchen.

With the Half Term holidays around the corner, we can highly recommend this to be an activity that will delight, entertain, and educate the entire family. But do note buggies are not allowed to be taken through the exhibition. All in all the orchid festival makes for a very interesting visit to Kew Gardens.

Date: 3 February - 3 March 2024. Time: from 10:00am daily. Location: Princes of Wales Conservatory, Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE. Price: Entry to the festival is free with a ticket to Kew Gardens. From adult £20, child: £4.50. Book now.

Words by Natascha Milsom