Kew Gardens get cyber-guide

Visitors to Kew Gardens are being offered a handheld electronic guide which divulges information about the plants in the gardens as they pass them.

The guide, called a "node", costs £4.95 a day to rent and is designed to allow visitors freedom to choose their own route and experience in the gardens, almost as if they had their own personal human guide.

There is information on almost every tree and plant in the gardens and Tom Brammar, who works for the company behind the node, said that it offers a personalised experience.

"This is all about giving people the freedom to enjoy Kew how they want," he said.

"Rather than a visitor having to follow a set path, the node can either set a route for them depending on their level of interest or simply show them what is nearby as they wander through."

The node also includes video tours of the Palm House and the Waterlily House among others.

There are even kids games programmed into it to keep the children interested while they learn.