Exploding with colour in a garden in London’s Richmond Park
LOCATED IN THE SOUTHWEST part of Richmond Park is one of London’s floral miracles: This year (2024), The Isabella Plantation is almost at its colourful best now (we visited it on the 12th of April) – a little earlier than usual. The camellia, azalea, and rhododendron bushes have exploded into flower alongside many other flowering plants. As you walk through the plantation, clouds of different coloured flowers seem to burst into view. Often two bushes of the same kind, but with different coloured flowers, have been planted together so that their blooms mix together to form an exciting ‘tapestry’ of flowers and contrasting hues.
During our latest visit, we were fortunate to have arrived at the right time to see some bluebells, but they were not close enough to each to seem like a carpet. However, they pale into insignificance in comparison with the flowering bushes, which have been skilfully planted so as to provide the viewer with three-dimensional, multi-coloured, natural works of art. On our recent walk around the Plantation, the morning sun (between 745 and 900 am) was shining brightly, enhancing the vividness of the flowers’ colours. Filtering through the trees, the sunlight created splashes of light on the flowers, producing an interestingly dappled effect. And some petals had sunlight shining through them, creating a lovely sight.
There are three ponds in the Plantation. The largest is Peg’s Pond. Next largest and at a higher altitude is Thomsons Pond, which is surrounded by a few flowering bushes. The most magnificent pond is the smallest of the three. It is the Still Pond. It is almost surrounded by azalea and rhododendron bushes. When they are in flower, their incredibly exuberant blooms are reflected in the mirror-like water of the Still Pond. This amazing effect must be seen to be believed. We saw a few mandarin ducks in the pond. As they swam, they created ripples on the surface of the pond. The gentle undulations of the water surface create interesting shimmering reflections of the firework-like flowers on the bushes next to the pond.
As on previous occasions, we parked in the free Broomfield car park, which is a short, pleasant walk away from the Plantation. Next to this carpark there is a café, which sells snacks at rather outrageously high prices. Optimistically, I hope that some of the profit goes to maintaining the Plantation.
Seeing the resplendent display of colour in the Plantation provides a pleasant distraction from the many disturbing things that are happening in many places in the world beyond the boundaries of Richmond Park.
