#KewLA
Today on #ArmisticeDay, we're remembering the Kew staff who served during both World Wars and balanced their lives in science and horticulture with duty and sacrifice 🧵👇

#KewLA
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
At this time of the year sometimes there is nothing better than enjoying a vanilla ice cream. This illustration from Kew's Library shows an image of Vanilla planifolia from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen 1887 featuring pod and flowers #KewLA #Vanilla #BotanicalIllustration
July 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Huge news today that the Darwin papers in our #KewLA #Archive collection are being added to the @unesco.org Memory of the World Register! 🗃️

Take a look at the writings of a young Charles Darwin with our Senior Archivist & Records Manager, Kiri 👇
April 23, 2025 at 10:58 AM
We've all mislaid our keys, but this one made it to the other side of the world! The Library and Archives were delighted when Adelaide Botanic Garden recently arranged for donation of a key that was previously owned by Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck - granddaughter of King George III #KewLA
January 7, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Many Kew staff, however, never returned. Their names are honoured in the Temple in Arethusa at Kew Gardens, a lasting memoir to their courage.

Learn more 👉 ow.ly/gORT50XpukT

For archive enquiries: archive@kew.org

#ArmisiticeDay #KewLA
Floreat Kew: in remembrance
A look at the Temple of Arethusa and its significance
ow.ly
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Many friendships have been made at Kew Gardens! To celebrate #InternationalFriendshipDay here is an image of our female gardeners during WWII, sharing a hot drink together in their break from gardening duties! #KewLA
July 30, 2025 at 9:35 AM
🚨With the Archives Revealed funding, an exciting opportunity has arisen to join our team as Assistant Archivist on the project. This will be a great opportunity to make our archive more accessible to new audiences. #KewLA

Closing: 21 Sept

Find out more here: careers.kew.org/vacancy/assi...
September 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
This 1799 book by John Lettsom, requested by one of our readers, has some lovely illustrations of insects on the title page and starts off with a fitting quote: "He that enlarges his curiosity after the works of nature, [...] demonstrably multiplies the inlets to happiness." #KewLA
September 23, 2026 at 9:04 AM
There are only a few more days to see our small but perfectly formed display on the botanical illustrator Stella Ross Craig - a titan amongst scientific artists of the 20th Century. You can see some of the materials she used to produce her meticulous plant studies, such as this paint palette #KewLA
May 5, 2026 at 9:35 AM
The Ancient Greeks associated the corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) with Morpheus, the god of sleep. In Chinese history and Persian poetry, the poppy was associated with eternal love & loyalty.

It has long been used across cultures for its medicinal properties. #FolkloreThursday #KewLA
April 3, 2025 at 3:57 PM
While most of our archives are from the 19th century onwards, we do have a few older records, including this #EYAMedieval land deed from 1451! It is written in Latin and relates to Ardingly, which is near where our second site Wakehurst is located. #KewLA
December 1, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Some unusual items in Kew’s Library and Archives include 26 wax orchids by Sir William Thiselton Dyer, Director of Kew (1885-1905), and artist Edith Delta Blackman (model shown of Vanda coerulea). These lifelike models are hard to tell apart from living specimens! #KewLA
September 25, 2025 at 6:52 PM
What #EYABeauty lies on the inside of this unassuming folder? We're showing off Elsie Wakefield's fungi illustrations today 🍄 Wakefield became Head of Mycology at Kew Gardens in 1915 and our Archives hold her personal papers collection, which includes letters, illustrations and photographs. #KewLA
November 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our research & collections teams here at Kew! We're looking forward to sharing more stories and highlights with you in 2026 🎄

Beautiful illustration below from our LAA team #KewLA 👇
December 25, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Here are some books we came across during a project in the mycology library last week. Our Library and Archives collections do not only cover plants, but also fungi and lichens. Some have very beautiful illustrations. Others (like the cordyceps) are rather gruesome... 🍄🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫 #KewLA
February 5, 2026 at 1:25 PM
For #EYADigital, we’re looking back at how Kew managed its corporate records - from filing paper documents to reviewing which should be archived or securely destroyed. While some paper files remain, we now support staff in managing records effectively in a primarily digital environment. #KewLA
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
This one's a bit old, but I like it so much.
Art by Kewla Tekzer (cant find her here)
October 27, 2024 at 12:32 AM
As the Last Night of the Proms approaches, we'd like to introduce you to the Trumpet Tree (Cecropia peltata L.) 🎺
Native to tropical South America, its hollow branches have been used to craft musical instruments. This original painting by Marianne North captures a sloth feeding on said tree! #KewLA
September 11, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Our Library & Archive teams are hosting a show-and-tell session on 12 May as part of @urbantreefest.bsky.social! 🌳
Come along to see great materials all to do with Kew's trees. It's first come first serve, so make sure to book soon! ⏰ #KewLA

Find out more 👇
urbantreefestival.org/trees-in-kew...
Trees in Kew Gardens’ Library and Archives — Urban Tree Festival
Kew Gardens’ Archives and Illustrations teams will host show and tell sessions relating to themes of colonialism and deforestation, historic uses of trees, and the role of trees in cities.
urbantreefestival.org
May 1, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Last week our Library & Archives team welcomed 60 students from Graphic Comms at the University of Southampton to explore themes around plant histories, challenging perspectives through engagement with the archive. We look forward to seeing their interpretations of the display we prepared! #KewLA
October 15, 2025 at 6:02 PM
In January, we're running 2 public workshops. If you're interested, please email archives@kew.org. They are funded by the fabulous British Institute of Persian Studies. #PersianHistory #Archives #KewLA
December 8, 2025 at 11:53 AM
On #WorldEmojiDay you wouldn't usually think of botanical collections, but our Archives hold some fantastic small symbols. For example, the Wardian case was basically a small greenhouse for plant transportation. Two cases were sent to Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and were sketched in Kew's logs 👇
#KewLA
July 17, 2025 at 10:33 AM
🌺If you're free on 15th January and would like to find out more about our Persian collections, why not sign up for one of our art workshops? More info in the booking links below 👇#KewLA

Morning slot: https://ow.ly/x0cl50XMcGy
Afternoon slot: https://ow.ly/IvwE50XMcGz
December 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
This illustration is one of many in Charles Maries' collection of unpublished drawings and chapters for 'Mangoes of India', which will be one of the collections catalogued with this grant 🥭

#KewLA
August 19, 2025 at 9:04 AM
🚨 Very old item alert!

While most of our collections date from the 1840s, our volunteers recently found this document, dating all the way back to 1451! It's in Latin & possibly a land deed relating to Ardingly, where our second site Wakehurst is based.

Can you make out any of the words?

#KewLA
June 5, 2025 at 9:02 AM