Exotic Orchids at Kew Gardens

Saturday 9 February 2013 to Sunday 3 March 2013

Princess of Wales Conservatory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Photo-call and Press Preview: 7 February 2013

Photographers from 9.30am, journalists and broadcast from 10am

If you want to put the winter behind you then put 9 February 2013 into your diary. This marks the opening of 'Orchids', when Kew's Princess of Wales Conservatory is transformed into a sea of glorious flowers. It's a celebration of the colour, drama and beauty associated with this completely unique and diverse group of plants.

Vibrant orchids will dominate the lush, wet tropical zone of the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Stunning displays of swirling colour will adorn the glasshouse pillars and arches. Hanging baskets will explode with a range of colours, creating waves of magnificent hues.

A small army of staff and volunteers will recreate the majestic Victoria amazonica from orchids, in the central Princess of Wales Conservatory pond, the glasshouse is already home to Kew's collection of spiky bromeliads. This will capture an artistic impression of this famous, giant waterlily flower in all its glory. An eye popping colour palette will dominate the top ridge of the Princess of Wales Conservatory, with a 6m x 3m wall of richly coloured vandas at the end of a path of vibrant arches weaving through the glasshouse in a rainbow of shades of deep oranges, ruby reds and sunshine yellows.

The Victoria amazonica, the crown jewel in the Nymphaeaceae family can be seen in the Princess of Wales Conservatory in all its splendour in the summer months. It lives along the backwaters of rivers in the Amazon basin in the Guianas Amazonia National Park and the Pantanal, which is the world's largest wetland stretching across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Kew is home to one of the world's oldest and most comprehensive species orchid collection. The Princess of Wales Conservatory displays a small part of the collection on rotation. These fascinating wild plants can be visited all year round, and in February will be complemented by orchid hybrids as part of the 'Orchids' festival.

Phil Griffiths, Display Manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,said: "This year the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew is going to have thousands of richly coloured orchids on display. The wider variety of colour will create a warm and tropical escape from the wintry conditions of February, as well as complement our species orchid collection which represents Kew's conservation work around the world."

•Opening hours during the festival: 9.30am - 5.30pm. Weekends and bank holidays close an hour later.

•Last entry to the Gardens, the glasshouses, galleries and the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is 30 minutes before closing.

•Admission: Adults £16.00*, concessions £14.00* (*includes £1.50 voluntary Gift Aid donation) and free for children under 17 (with an adult)

•Visitor information: 020 8332 5655

For more information visist http://www.kew.org/