Greg Redwood is the head of glasshouses, nurseries and display horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where the Temperate House – home to around 10,000 plants from countries with clement weather – has reopened after a five-year, £15m restoration.
What was wrong with the old structure?
Although it looked like it was made of stone, the ground floor of the Victorian building was constructed from wrought iron and steel beams, which rusted from the inside and cracked the decoration that had been designed to look like masonry. In the 1970s, vents were shut in what could have been an economy measure, which meant there wasn’t enough ventilation to remove condensation. But now there’s an automated airflow that keeps the glass and steelwork dry.
Removing all that greenery must have been a hell of a job.
It was daunting, but also an opportunity to decide what could stay and what needed replacing. We had to say goodbye to some old friends: the Chilean wine palm, for example, was greatly loved by the public and we could have kept it a few more years but it had already hit the roof, and someone used to have to climb up and bend the fronds under the beams. The new plants we have put in will grow together and will be easier to maintain.
What else does the building contain?
There’s a greater emphasis on wellbeing and public engagement with nature, so there are aerial acrobatic performances and a giant puppet explaining what goes on in there to younger visitors. The Temperate House was always something of a forgotten gem at Kew because, while it was originally designed to have been the grand entrance, the railway station was moved to a different place, so people eventually came in via another route.
When did you develop your green fingers?
I received a tropical heated glasshouse for Christmas when I was 10 and started to grow cacti, succulents and orchids. Careers folk tried to talk me out of it at school, saying there was no money or future in it and suggested I go into banking or retail. Horticulture was regarded as something that people who weren’t academic could do. I had a conservatory put on the back of my house five years ago and the builders said I was a nightmare customer as I wanted climate controls, heating and automatic venting installed. They asked why I wanted to grow plants in it and I told them that was the whole point of a conservatory.
You have got an appropriate name for someone who looks after trees.
What was wrong with the old structure?
Although it looked like it was made of stone, the ground floor of the Victorian building was constructed from wrought iron and steel beams, which rusted from the inside and cracked the decoration that had been designed to look like masonry. In the 1970s, vents were shut in what could have been an economy measure, which meant there wasn’t enough ventilation to remove condensation. But now there’s an automated airflow that keeps the glass and steelwork dry.
Removing all that greenery must have been a hell of a job.
It was daunting, but also an opportunity to decide what could stay and what needed replacing. We had to say goodbye to some old friends: the Chilean wine palm, for example, was greatly loved by the public and we could have kept it a few more years but it had already hit the roof, and someone used to have to climb up and bend the fronds under the beams. The new plants we have put in will grow together and will be easier to maintain.
What else does the building contain?
There’s a greater emphasis on wellbeing and public engagement with nature, so there are aerial acrobatic performances and a giant puppet explaining what goes on in there to younger visitors. The Temperate House was always something of a forgotten gem at Kew because, while it was originally designed to have been the grand entrance, the railway station was moved to a different place, so people eventually came in via another route.
When did you develop your green fingers?
I received a tropical heated glasshouse for Christmas when I was 10 and started to grow cacti, succulents and orchids. Careers folk tried to talk me out of it at school, saying there was no money or future in it and suggested I go into banking or retail. Horticulture was regarded as something that people who weren’t academic could do. I had a conservatory put on the back of my house five years ago and the builders said I was a nightmare customer as I wanted climate controls, heating and automatic venting installed. They asked why I wanted to grow plants in it and I told them that was the whole point of a conservatory.
You have got an appropriate name for someone who looks after trees.
We have some Woods and a couple of Gardiners on the staff too.
