Trees, and more, at Kew Gardens

I'd signed up for a walk around the arboretum but couldn't resist snapping this glorious chestnut on the way in -

This is the oldest tree in the gardens, a sweet chestnut dating back to the 1670s; in fact it predates the gardens 0

Whereas this chestnut may be more well known, having been the "womping willow" in the Harry Potter film -

 The monkey puzzle trees (auricaria) are impressive -

 ... and the lioriodendron (tulip tree)  should be easily identifiable - it's got a unique leaf shape -

 The azalea plantation has been rethought, and moved, to give interest all year round, in autumn from these acers -

The karumi azaleas will be planted in the autumn, as will some prunus, to provide a succession of flowering.

The Long Border was looking glorious -

 These may be some sort of allium getting ready to flower -

 I also went to the recently-reopened Temperate House; it had to be replanted after renovation and the trees are still quite small, but the light is wonderful -

Wandering some more, I found that Tony's bench was in place near the Japanese Gateway, just a hop, skip, and jump from the Pagoda that he climbed as a boy -

 ... and on the way out, these puffy seedpods caught my eye - Staphylea colchica, a tree from the Caucausus - its name comes from the Georgian kingdom of Cholchis -

Somehow, that took up the entire day!