Chelsea Physic Garden

Chelsea Physic Garden July 2009

Mimulus Chelsea Physic Garden July 2009

 Sir Hans Sloane Chelsea Physic Garden July 2009

Romneya coulteri Chelsea Physic Garden July 2009

 

Thymus serpyllum Chelsea Physic Garden July 2009

I visited the Chelsea Physic Garden on July 2, 2009.  Because the climate of southern England is similar to Seattle, Portland OR or Vancouver BC, the plants in this garden appeared much as they would in the Pacific Northwest in July.  From my journal: I had breakfast at the hotel with a very friendly Kentuckian.  I took the tube to Sloane Square.  It reminded me of New York City.  I walked to the Chelsea Physic Garden.  It didn’t open until noon, 2 hours later.  I walked on the Chelsea Embankment along the Thames River to Pimlico Garden.  I took the tube back to the hotel.  I had a lousy lunch of ho fun at a Chinese restaurant.  In Seattle that is called chow fun.  I wanted to ask the waitress about that.  But I overheard another customer ask her what came with the lunch special.  ‘Day of soup,’ she said.  I got it, but the guy was completely mystified.  I thought I would pass on my ho fun question. I went back to the Chelsea Physic Garden.  It was very hot by that time 33C/91F.  The tube was sweltering.  I had to change trains twice.  There were endless corridors & stairs.  It was hard to remember to keep to the left.  But I enjoyed the Chelsea Physic Garden very much.  Even though the plants were arranged in double rows in long rectangular beds, rather like books on a shelf, it was quite charming.  There was a lovely rectangular pool.  Children were sprawled beside it dipping nets into the water.  There were glasshouses & a few naturalistic planting beds.  The garden was established in 1673, not opened to the public until 1983.