Coloured illustrations of 12 tulips on a page from Emmanuel Sweerts' 1620 work 'Florilegium'. The tulips are annotated in handwriting underneath. 16. Tulipa purpurea Candidis oris. 17. Tulipa Carmosina 18. Tulipa alba rubro purpureo 19. Tulipa purpu. lineis Violaceis. 20. Tulipa luteis floribus lineis Rubris 21. Tulipa lutea oris Rubris 22. Tulipa Rubra fundo Vario 23. Tulipa luto hilari rubro confusa 24. Tulipa Cremosina

Several pink tulips photographed up close in the sunshine, showing green stems and other plants having been potted around them.

Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter and share some more blossoms from the Library and Archives, both inside and outside the building💐

#KewLA

A photograph of the back of Kew's Palm House with a tree of pale pink blossom in the foreground set against a sparkling blue sky.

A woodblock print of Prunus armeniaca from Honzō Zufu (illustrated manual of medicinal plants) from Kew's Library and Archives. It shows a sprig of 8 flowers in various stages of bloom rendered in graduated pinks to white. Japanese text runs down the side of the page.

I don't always get a chance to see what is flowering in the Gardens during the working week so it was nice to see some of the spectacular blossoms near the Palm House recently. Of course we are lucky to have our own blossoms in the Library and Archives, but in botanical illustration form! #KewLA

Black and white line drawing depicting two flowers, leaves and the stem of a rose plant. Illustrations of plant parts (labelled with a letter relating to a key, and their magnification) are drawn around the outer edge of the plate. In the lower left corner can be seen two drawings of the magnified leaf surface while a cross section of the flower is shown in the lower right corner. Despite being rendered in monochrome the drawing is skillfully shaded to show the shape of the plant.

Poster for the exhibition 'Flora, Dissected: The Botanical Illustrations of Stella Ross-Craig, from Britain and Beyond' at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The main focal illustration is a coloured illustration of Banksia. Below the title of the exhibition is: "Visit our display showcasing original material from Kew's Library & Archives.". The date and location info is included on the bottom right under a small map detailing the entrance: "10th February to 21st May 2026. Library & Archives Reading Room. Tuesday and Wednesday (10am-4pm). No booking required. library@kew.org."

🎨Stella Ross-Craig (1906-2006) is known for her skilled line drawings such as this Rosa tomentosa from her work 'Drawings of British Plants' - a series to which she dedicated 25 years! Keen to see other examples of her drawings in Kew's Library display? Details on the display below 👇 #KewLA

Open book with a colour illustration of a bolete on the right-hand page. The description is in Polish.

Black and white illustration of various fungi

Detail of a colour illustration of various insects and cordyceps fungi growing out of them.

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

A section of a notebook, rest on foam supports. The page is titled ‘7. Uninvited guests at 4 Willow Cottages, Kew, 1892-1915’. Beneath this are two columns, listing the names of plants found at the property: datura stramonium; Amaranthus retroflexus; Oxalis corniculata rubia; Oenothera lamarckiana; [?] roseum; Lychnis alba; Silene latifolia; Chenopodium rubrum; Senebiera didyma; Senebiera coronopus; Melilotus indicus (1917); Euphorbia virgata; Sisyrinchium angustifolium; Papaver somniferum; Galinsoga parviflora; Epilobium hirsutum; Ornithopus perpusillus; S.noctiflora; Althaca rosea

Amongst the notes of 19th century horticulturalist & botanist John Fraser, we spotted this list of unwelcome visitors to a property in Kew! John's ‘uninvited guests’ were botanical rather than human, including species such as thornapple and gallant soldier. How many can you recognise? #KewLA

Four sheets of paper, roughly A6-sized, pasted onto a larger page. The individual smaller pages are handwritten and contain notes in French, Greek, and Latin. They are presumably notes or correspondence on specific specimens and plants collected by or for Gay.

🗺️What a multi-lingual collection: Jacques Gay was a botanist and collector from Switzerland and our Archives hold over 35 volumes of his manuscripts. He wrote mainly in French, although Latin and even Greek found its way into his writing as well. Any polyglots able to translate? #KewLA

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

Coloured illustration of Ilex aquifolium (Holly). Small red berries are at the bottom of a stem with long green leaves with ragged and sharp edges pointing outwards from the stem. A smaller illustration in the bottom right corner shows the plant in pink, in its flowering stage.

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 👇

Coloured illustration of a Rosa persica (Persian rose). The slightly yellowed page shows stem, leaves, two yellow flowers and one in the process of flowering. Two yellow petals are shown dropping at the bottom.

🌺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

Two lines of musical notation written vertically down a page in a bound manuscript volume. On either side of the notation are handwritten notes referencing plants, their uses and publications relating to them. As the photo is taken at an angle, some of the writing is cropped. Trippasia R 15. Citrus parva Guin I 63 Balsamita vulgar... Willd Tom III Pars III ... Tanacetum Balsamita ... Lin Ulva diaphana makes an excellent pickle. Mr J D Downes.

🎶A botanical musical? We recently stumbled across these in the 'Flora Cibaria' manuscript of botanist Lilly Wigg (1749-1828). The volumes consist of other people's writings and are full of surprises, with psalms and melodies strewn throughout, and little direct link to the botany on the page. #KewLA

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

Photo of a woman in a yellow top, with dark hair, drawing sitting at a desk, with other opposite. Colouring pencils and textile are visible on the table. 2) Sketch of a maintain range, mostly in pencil, but with some colour (green) indicating the plants and trees on the mountain range. Some place names are indicated with arrows in manuscript.

Interested in Persian collections? This Wednesday, we will be hosting a talk about the Persian materials within our archive, focusing on the unexpected cultural & social histories:
Learn more 👉 ow.ly/ENHb50XCLJ2
#KewLA

Poster for an exhibition at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, titled 'Persia Reimagined: From Herbarium to Heritage'. The exhibition dates 30 September 2025 to 21 January 2026. The text is laid over a collage of archive materials: a coloured illustration of a yellow-flowered Rosa persica, yellow and orange Persian lime and typewritten text.

Do we have archives relating to your history? Probably! Our archive reflects global histories & is open to all. Conservator Shabnam Balouch has helped uncover our Persian archive, and you can find out more at an upcoming talk & our free public workshops in January! #EYAYourArchives #KewLA

Various materials layered on top of each other so that corners and sections of pages are obscured. On the bottom is newsletter article opened on a two-page spread with a light green border and the title in the centre reads ‘The Millenium Seed Bank Project’. Underneath the title, two images are fully visible – on the left hand side, a person collecting seeds in Cumbria and to the right, a model version of the ‘Wellcome Trust Millennium Building’. Materials on top of the article from left to right are: section of a report on the Kew Seed Bank; a leaflet with a cream background and image of a small plant titled ‘Your Opportunity to Sponsor a Millennium Seed Bank Tree’; a leaflet with a logo of a plant with a green steam, yellow petals and a green globe in the centre reading ‘millennium seed bank appeal kew’ with a photograph of Sir David Attenborough outside the Palm House to the right. Article - MAFF Bulletin, Crown Copyright.

For #EYAAnniversaries, we delved into collections on our Millennium Seed Bank, which opened at Wakehurst 25 years ago. Among the reports & articles on the development of one of the world’s largest seed banks, we discovered publicity materials featuring none other than Sir David Attenborough! #KewLA

Photograph over the shoulder of a woman with long dark hair, sitting at a table drawing. In front of her on the table are papers of different sizes and drawing materials, such as coloured pencils.

A dark wooden table with fixed lamps. Across the table, papers of different sizes are strewn, showing photographs of pomegranates, exhibition flyers for 'Persia Reimagined', copies of archive materials, drawing mats and coloured pencils, as well as patterned shawls. Two people's hands can be seen at the top of the picture, in the middle of drawing.

Happy #EYAInclusion Day! We believe archives are for everyone, and we recently hosted workshops with Persian communities who visited our current exhibition & created beautiful booklets inspired by the items on display! It's vital that anyone who wants to use archives is able to access them. #KewLA

Numerous paper registered files stored vertically on five horizontal white shelves.

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

Two typewritten documents, situated in the centre and left-hand side, layered on top of a handwritten logbook, situated on the right-hand side.

For #EYASilence, we thought it fitting to look back at a time in which the Gardens had to be silent. This instruction sheet, issued during the Blitz in WWII, and an air raid logbook detail how the frequency of bombing raids led to the regular suppression of daily operations. #KewLA

A handwritten document laid out and held down by snake weights. It is written in Latin, in early modern handwriting. It is possibly a land deed.

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

A blank grey paper folder on a brown wooden surface.

Numerous coloured illustrations of mushrooms layered on top of each other so that corners and sections of pages are obscured. On each sheet there are light pencil annotations next to the illustrations.

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

A plan of the House, Gardens, Park and Hermitage of their Majesties at Richmond by John Rocque. Shows Oven House, the Summer House, Merlin's Cave, the Hermitage, the Dairy House, the Green House and the Orangery, 'His Majesties House in Richmond' North and South prospects. Includes numbered references showed on the plan referring to other features in the Gardens; this is also written in French. Printed for John Bowles at the Black Horse, Cornhill. Unmounted engraving in blue card folder. The main Gardens are depicted across three quarters of the spread with individual illustrations of buildings filling the top right-hand corner.

Did you know today is #EYAConservation day? We’re celebrating with this 1734 engraved map by John Rocque, showing the gardens, park and related buildings of the Royal Family at Kew. Our conservator has mounted it on a board for support and advises Melinex sleeves and flat storage. #KewLA

Black and white photograph showing a large tree sitting in a cart attached to three horses who are ready to pull it across the Gardens. The reigns of each horse are held by a handler and the faint outline of Kew's Palm House can be seen in the background.

On #NationalTreeWeek we'd like to highlight the incredible efforts of Kew's past colleagues who were faced with the challenging task of moving trees across the Gardens. This photograph from Kew's Library and Archives depicts William Barron's ingenious horse-drawn tree transporter 🌳 #KewLA

Illustration of Pajanelia longifolia (named as Bignonia multijuga) showing the flowers and leaves of the plant which has been cut off at the stem. Several branches of green leaves fan out from the stem above which are shown pale yellow flowers each with a delicate purple centre. The faint undersketch of a leaf can be seen in the upper right while three partially coloured fllower dissections can be seen on the right. Underneath the illustration to the left is written 'Wallich 1828 East Ind. Co.' which makes reference to Wallich's employer - The East India Company. Two different plant determinations are also written under the image identifying it as Pajanelia rheedii or Bignonia multijuga

Did you know Kew’s Library and Archives hold 7,000+ Indian illustrations? This vibrant Pajanelia longifolia piece by Vishnupersad - commissioned by Nathaniel Wallich - is now on show. Explore Flora Indica at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery through April 2026. #KewLA

Black and white illustration of a market scene with mushroom sellers. At the back is a stone archway with van Sterbeeck's portrait above it. Surrounding him are children holding garlands of mushrooms, with smiling faces on the left, and sad expressions on the right.

Title page of the book by Franciscus van Sterbeeck. The titles reads: Theatrum Fungorum oft het Tooneel der Campernoelien. It has a further description about the contents of the work in Dutch. It was published in 1675 in Antwerp by Joseph Iacobs and has a small engraving of a bundle of mushrooms at the bottom. The page has a library stamp at the top left and slight yellowing.

Autumn is in full swing, and so is mushroom season! This lovely engraving is from the 1675 book "Theatrum Fungorum" by Belgian priest and mycologist Franciscus van Sterbeeck. The facial expressions of the children above the doorway symbolise edible (left) versus poisonous (right) mushrooms. #KewLA

Floreat Kew: in remembrance A look at the Temple of Arethusa and its significance

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

An opened volume with blue pages with a light brown folder and stapled collection of papers resting on top and covering the bottom half of the pages underneath. In the volume, there are several columns which are titled as follows: name, private address, service no + unit, position at Kew, married or single, no of children, weekly wage. Titles of three remaining columns are cut off in the image. The second row is for a J.Sparrow of Kew Bridge Road, Brentford who held a gardener position. On the right hand side of the volume, a white strip of paper has been glued in and reads the following: ‘Pte J Sparrow, No.4650, 24th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Service Corps. British Expeditionary Force. Awarded Military Medal.’ The brown folder has a black label with white typescript reading ‘J.Sparrow’ in the top lefthand corner. The stapled papers read ‘Name – John Sparrow’ as well as fields for home address and date of application or renewal, but these have been left incomplete.

One story that stands out from our "Men on Active Service" volume is J. Sparrow, who served in the Army Cyclist Corps in the First World War. Awarded the Military Medal in 1916, he returned to Kew in 1919.

#KewLA

Herbarium illustration of a paper showing colour code bar at the top of the image.

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

A selection of copied Library, Illustrations and Archives material dipslayed across a table with a black tablecloth. There are two upright perspex holders with advertisements for the current exhibitions at Kew "Flora Indica" and "Persia Reimagined". Botanical illustrations on the table are of a carnivorous plant, painted by Marianne North, and fly agaric mushrooms, drawn by Elsie Wakefield. Other items on the table are copies of a handwritten letter, a copy of Curtis' Botanical Magazine, a Rocque map of Kew Gardens, a colour chart by Burchell, as well as stacks of postcards and badges for visitors to take.

Today, our Graduate Trainees have been representing Kew Library & Archives for #HistDay25 at Senate House Library. It's been a great way to share highlights from our collections with potential students and researchers as well as discover more about other libraries and archives! #KewLA

A spacious library room with tables displaying open historical books, manuscripts, and documents under bright linear ceiling lights.

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

Black and white photograph of the main library stacks shortly after the opening of the new wing. View across the library with wooden library stacks on either side, with lower benches down the middle.

Photograph of the main library stacks in 2025. View across the library with wooden library stacks on either side, with lower benches down the middle. Apart from the carpet on the floor and the ceiling, not much has changed in this space since its opening.

For #NationalLibraryWeek, take a look inside our main library (normally staff only)! 📖

This wing of the Herbarium was built in 1969. It houses just a fraction of the library collections which include books, maps & artworks, & spans a whopping 9 km of shelving! #KewLA

👉 https://ow.ly/PVRv50X6WEk

Close up of letter from H.M. Ward to his mother, reading: ‘July 20: I have just got the second batch of your poems. I strongly advise you to be careful, the ideas are…& poetical to a degree; but you…too apt to lose the on the metre on you…in technical construction.

Handwritten poem by J Fraser, titled ‘The Corn Poppy’ with a sentence crossed out then four stanzas reading: “The scarlet poppy reddens daily, Amongst the cornfields blossoms gaily, Makes comely neighbours wanton palely, and dazzles all beneath the skies, But beckons me with swanting [sic] eyes. Uh! Could I like the gliding swallow, Explore the vale and upland follows, No more in smoky dens I’d swallow, No longer breathe the air that falls Midst crowded streets and staring walls. Then would I bid adieu to collow, And scour the…height and hollow, Un…the downs and blithely follow, along the fields where bright corn rose – The glorious flaming poppy – glows. To-day would have no room for sorrow, No boding thoughts to gloom to-morrow, And each day after fair would borrow Another glide along the plain, to search amongst the bended grain’”

Loose papers, with handwritten poem on top of five stanzas, the second of which is crossed out then rewritten underneath. It reads: “The transport bent by wholesome breezes, Where charming guise of landscape pleases, Brings life amend, as man can…., and genders thanks for flow’r so fair, That smile and make my errand there. I love to see the wild bee settle, Upon the smooth and silky petal, And laugh to view its ardent mettle, When tumbling round the…flow’r, Collecting bee bread hour by hour. The longest day draws with gloaming, And puts an end to handsome roaming; I grieve to mark its shadows coming, But more to think when day is blind, that I must leave my flow’r behind. The corn, the poppy, bee and ether, And birds that wing on airy feather, all choose the wilds and hang together, Beneath the great and blue sky-dome, And I must visit them at home” Signed at end: J.F., March 15th 1919

Botanist or poet? For National Poetry Day, we discovered poetry hidden amongst the personal papers of botanists - from J. Fraser’s 1919 poem on poppies to H.M Ward’s critique’s on his mother’s poetry!
#KewLA