 |
|
| Home | Main Index | Site Search | About Us |
|
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburghfrom Edinburgh, Scotland
ABOVE: The Temperate Palm House opened in 1858. INSET BELOW: A palm tree, giant water lilies, and a walkway through a beech hedge.
Next page: Guided garden tours
|
The
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of the oldest botanic gardens in
Britain. It was founded in 1670 as a "physic garden" that supplied medicinal
plants to Edinburgh doctors. The main garden has been at its current location
since 1820, and the RBGE operates satellite gardens in Benmore, Logan, and
Dawyck. Together, the gardens comprise what is said to be "second richest
collection of plant species in the world."
The
Edinburgh garden, nicknamed the "Botanics," occupies 67 acres or 27
hectares of
undulating terrain in Inverleith, just north of Edinburgh's trendy Stockbridge
quarter. In addition to conducting botanical and horticultural research, the
RBGE welcomes visitors with scenic paths, benches, guided tours, access to greenhouses or
"glasshouses," and even a café and shop.(What's
more, admission is free, except for the Glasshouses.)
The
"Botanics" is one of Edinburgh's must-see attractions for garden enthusiasts,
but it's also worth a visit if you're simply a fan of urban green spaces. As you
wander through the Arboretum and Copse, the Rock Garden and Scottish Heath
Garden, the Chinese Hillside, the Azalea and Pond Lawns, the
climate-controlled Glasshouses, and the popular new Queen Mother's Memorial
Garden, you'll marvel at the fact that such a such a
beautiful and exotic park is just a few minutes by bus or a leisurely walk from
the Georgian terraces of Edinburgh's New Town.