Kew Gardens' Orchid festival returns for 2024, taking over the Princess of Wales Conservatory from Saturday, February 3, to Sunday, March 3.
Kew's 28th Orchid Festival draws inspiration from the unique flora and fauna of Madagascar, the world's fourth-largest island and home to Kew's third research site. Madagascar's lush rainforests, tropical dry forests, and over 3,000 miles of coastline will be reflected in an extravaganza of themed floral displays and living installations created by Kew's team of horticulturists to transform the Princess of Wales Conservatory into a colorful celebration that never fails to brighten up the winter months.
Kew's Madagascar Conservation Centre
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has been working in Madagascar since 1986, and today has 40 researchers based at our third research site, the Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, where they are working with Malagasy partners and communities to protect the island's unique floral biodiversity. Home to an array of landscapes, from vast grasslands to tropical forests and deserts, the ecosystems found on Madagascar support a wide range of endemic plants and wildlife- species that are found nowhere else on Earth.
Today, the megadiverse flora and fauna of Madagascar is critically threatened and under increasing pressure. As part of Kew's ongoing work in Madagascar, our team of Malagasy scientists, students, and support staff work with collaborators, local partners, and communities across the island to safeguard rare plant species, protect natural habitats, improve livelihoods and increase food security, with the overall aim of conserving the ecology of this unique island for generations to come.
A horticultural extravaganza
Across the ten display zones that make up the Princess of Wales Conservatory, a series of stunning horticultural displays will celebrate the unique biodiversity of Madagascar as part of the Orchid Festival. One of the most iconic symbols of the island, the Lovers Baobab, will be recreated in a breathtaking display on the waterlily pond. Baobabs in western Madagascar form a vital part of the dry deciduous forests, playing an essential role in this unique ecosystem, notably promoting nutrient recycling and preventing soil erosion, as well as providing a vital source of food, water, and shelter for an array of animal life.
Alongside this striking central installation, visitors will encounter floral sculptures recreating some of Madagascar's most iconic wildlife, including ring-tailed lemurs, radiated tortoises, and the enigmatic aye-aye, the world's largest nocturnal primate. Visitors will also be able to see a small selection of Madagascan orchids on display as part of the festival, including Angraecum sesquipedale. Also known as Darwin's orchid, this beautiful white star-shaped plant features a nectary around 30cm long.
Darwin hypothesized that such a flower could only be pollinated by a creature with a similarly long tongue that had developed alongside the flower, and this was the beginning of his theory of co-evolution. Darwin's species prediction was indeed accurate, and in 1907, Xanthopan morganii praedicta (the Malagasy subspecies of the African hawkmoth) was named to science. This huge moth has a wingspan of 16cm and a proboscis that exceeds 20cm. However, it was not until 1992 that the moth was discovered feeding upon the flower - around 130 years after Darwin's initial prediction.
Solene Dequiret, Supervisor of the Princess of Wales Conservatory at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, says: "It's always rewarding for the team to plan, design, and install the Orchid festival each year and for 2024, it's wonderful to be able to draw inspiration from the incredible plant and animal life of Madagascar- an ecosystem like nowhere else on Earth. Telling the story of this incredible island nation through horticultural displays will also allow us to shine a light on the critical efforts of the team based at Kew's Madagascar Conservation Centre, who work hard every day to conserve and protect the biodiversity of this unique environment."
Mary-Anne Daly, Chief Executive Officer, Cazenove Capital, commented: "We are delighted to support the invaluable work of Kew' Gardens leading scientists through our continued sponsorship of Kew's extraordinary Orchid Festival. Kew is home to one of the largest botanical collections in the world, and supporting its research into biodiversity reflects our firm's commitment to protecting the environment and finding nature-based solutions to climate change. I look forward to seeing what promises to be a unique display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory in early 2024."
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew's world-leading research, global partnerships, and beloved gardens – home to the world's most diverse collections of plants and fungi – Kew is using its trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity, Kew relies on the critical support of its visitors not only to sustain the gardens but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
Source: kew.org