Kew Gardens - Dali and Some Trees

17 May 2003

Outside the Palm House in the Rose Garden at Kew is this bronze sculpture "The Profile of Time", inspired by Salvador Dali's 1931 painting "The Persistence of Memory".

"As the watch melts over the tree, it transforms into a human profile, underlining the interminable relationship between humanity and time. The unexpected softness of the watch also represents the psychological aspect whereby the speed of time, whilst precise in its scientific use, can vary greatly in human perception."

A Bhutan pine

A Swamp Cypress, Taxodium distichum, from south-east USA.

A "tulip tree", Liriodendron tulipifera, from north-east USA

...and one of the "tulips"

A chestnut-leaved oak, Quercus castaneifolia, from Iran

This mature tree is one of many at Kew where ground improvements have been carried out, including the injection of high-pressure nitrogen gas to fracture the soil and allow air and water to penetrate. Mycorrhizal fungi are introduced which form an association with tree roots and increase nutrient and moisture uptake.