So far, the iconic Temperate Palm House and the Tropical Palm House have been emptied of plants and are ready for refurbishment work to begin. The plants that…
On the 17 and 18 June 2022 naturalists and the public came together at Little Sparta, a garden in the Pentland Hills 25 miles southwest of Edinburgh, to…
The artist Ian Hamilton Finlay created a garden in the hills near Biggar that he called Little Sparta in response to the characterization of Edinburgh as the Athens…
We assign human qualities to animals without a second thought. The wise owl and the cunning fox will produce a smile, even though we know this is just…
In an age where 40% of the world’s plants are faced with extinction, the recording of data is more important now than ever. Documenting, describing, and researching the properties of plants enhances their chances of survival; how can we protect what we don’t know we have?
At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh we were kindly donated 15,000 tulips by Taylor’s Bulbs to create a stunning colourful display leading up to the famous Botanic Cottage…
During summer 2021 the first phase of the Biomes Project began and the Glasshouse staff were tasked with the mammoth undertaking of removing all plants from the Palm…
A collaborative effort has seen the complete digitisation of herbarium specimens of vascular plants from Myanmar, complemented by data standardisation and georeferencing.
Every day, hundreds of visitors pour into the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, many of them through our East Gate. To do this, one must pass through two sets…
The RBGE Archives do not just hold papers – correspondence, administration and photographs – we also have a number of objects; plant models, gardening tools and camera equipment…
As the snow melts Saxifraga oppositifolia (Purple saxifrage) is normally one of the first tribunes of spring, heralding winter’s end as its bright petals unfold. Throughout March, its…
In Wade Davis’ account of the ‘Mallory’ expeditions to Mount Everest1, there is a brief but intriguing reference to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. In a section describing…
Gusts of wind reached 85mph in parts of Scotland as Storm Malik swept across the country on Saturday. High winds brought down trees, damaged buildings and more than…
The RBGE Herbarium and citizen research Since 2017 the RBGE Herbarium has enlisted the help of volunteers to undertake the transcription of collection label information from herbarium specimens….
It has certainly been another challenging year for everyone working at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. However, one positive out of the pandemic is the growing appreciation for…
Ross Eudall was born in London on the 29th December 1924, an only child. Ross’s father was a butler, which led to Ross spending time in Kilmarnock, Inverness…
During the United Nations COP26 in Glasgow during November 2021 we created thought-provoking displays of global plant life across 10 negotiating rooms with 55 individual displays. They each…
Bringing nature into our cities is an essential component for a sustainable future. Our disconnection from the natural world is constantly overlooked in the urban world. Greening our…
As I walked around the garden today here at RBGE, there was a real sense of autumn in the air. Golden leaves lay scattered on the ground, the…
Scotland’s native wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris) is an attractive, solitary and often unassuming tree with a big history. It is a key player in the domestication of the apple, with Malus domestica, and all its many cultivars, boasting M.sylvestris as one of its progenitors.