A poetic and artistic rallying-call for us all to stay connected with nature is set to inspire adults and children at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). The Lost Words (May 19 – September 2) is a stunning collection of “spell” poems” and nature paintings – taking the form of both a book and an exhibition – in an award-winning collaboration between writer Robert Macfarlane and artist Jackie Morris. Continue reading Finding hope for nature: Botanics welcomes The Lost Words
Plant science and horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) took a small step back to the future yesterday with the opening of an efficient new “Traditional” Alpine House constructed in the image of its predecessor. Like the 1975 original, this doppelgänger construction is dedicated to the care and cultivation of the alpine species that thrive in pots and inspire visitors in a core area of research and conservation. Continue reading Botanics goes back to the future with new Alpine House
The cream of Britain’s horticultural broadcasters are Scotland-bound as BBC Radio 4’s annual Gardeners’ Question Time (GQT) Summer Garden Party prepares to be hosted at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) on Saturday 9 July. Continue reading Summer Garden Party fun as Botanics welcomes the cream of the crop
Sunday 19 June
The Botanic Gardens, from 11am
Dads Rock’s 3rd FREE Father’s Day Family Takeover will be on Sunday 19 June from 11am – 4pm at the Royal Botanic Garden. Continue reading Dads are taking over The Botanics!
Celebrate the restored Botanic Cottage
Monday 30 May midday – 6pm
It’s the party of the year at the Botanics – and you’re all invited!
Join us as we celebrate the opening of the historic Botanic Cottage with a glorious gala day. Bring along a picnic and enjoy an afternoon of free music, creative activities, demonstrations, dancing, storytelling and much more!
Suitable for all ages, the event is part of a season of events at the Botanics called#BeInspiredbyNature and is also part of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, supported by VisitScotland #IAD2016
Botanic Lights cancelled tonight -Thursday 12 November
Unfortunately, Botanic Lights is cancelled tonight for safety reasons due to severe weather conditions forecast for this evening.
For further info visit bge.org.uk/botaniclights
It’s not particularly pretty and it stinks like a rotting corpse – meet the plant they’re all talking about at the Botanics … !
Our Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum), one of the world’s biggest and smelliest blooms, is set to flower and could look like the one (above) at Basel. It’s a first for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and for Scotland.
There was great excitement at the Garden this morning when horticulturists discovered the bud had started to unfurl to reveal a flower. The plant is currently 137cms in height and getting bigger by the day.
It is expected that our titan arum, which is housed in the Lowland Tropics House, will be of great interest to visitors. So, when it is in full bloom, and at its smelliest, the Garden will be open from 9am until 9pm.
Visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for details and to check its progress.
Pilton Community Health Project will be producing a cake to highlight the best of North Edinburgh as part of this month’s Edinburgh’s Cake Fest – and they could use your help!
PCHP’s Community Development Manager Anita Aggarwal explained: “We are delighted to have been asked to contribute a cake to Cake Fest – they are building a map of Edinburgh made in cake!
“A master cake decorator (a member of the Sugarcraft Guild) will be with us on Thursday 18 June from 9.30am – 1pm to help us decorate our cake, which will be our building and a community garden – hopefully decorated with symbols and figures that represent the best of the area.
“Drop in anytime between 9.30 and 1 to contribute to the cake which will be displayed at the Botanics. Let us know if you need a creche.”
“You can see all the entire map of Edinburgh made from cake at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday 21 June – its all free and the cake will be shared around from 5pm.”
And what exactly is Cake Fest Edinburgh? Well, it’s part of The Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015 events and, simply put, it’s a free day of cake, entertainment and Scotland’s best food and drink!
Sunday 21 June 2015 is Midsummer’s Day, and on Inverleith House lawn in the Botanic Gardens, Cake Fest Edinburgh will build a giant edible map of the city including over 50 magnificent landmark buildings in cake! Join us to witness this marvel, explore the gardens and sample delicious local produce.
There’s street food and a producer’s market from 10am and throughout the afternoon there will be workshops for the kids and free entertainment all day and evening long. From midday, the cake map will be assembled – careful, now! – and by 5pm the cake map will be complete …
Once the cake map is complete it will be left for all to admire whilst each baking team casts its vote for the Bakers Choice cake. Shortly after 5pm the winner will be announced by a very special guest – and bakers will then be invited onto the map to cut up their cakes to share with onlookers, all for free!
This event is for all the family and free to attend. For further information visit http://edinburgh.cakefest.org.uk/
Agreement strengthens 200 year relationship
A new era has dawned in collaborations between the UK and Nepal with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation Department of Plant Resources (DPR).
The agreement flags up a significant commitment to long-term capacity building in plant research, conservation and education in the South Asian biodiversity hot-spot.
While RBGE has connections in Nepal dating back to the early 1800’s, this is regarded as a distinctively fresh form of partnership. The deal was sealed when Mr Yam Bahadur Thapa, Director General of Nepal’s Department of Plant Resources, flew to Edinburgh to meet RBGE Regius Keeper Simon Milne MBE.
Looking forward to a number of imminent new initiatives including plans for a Biodiversity Education Garden to be built at Nepal’s National Botanic Garden, the two agreed the way was open for yet closer working ties.
Simon Milne said: “The connections between the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Nepal date back some 200 years and our working relationship is going from strength to strength. This accord underscores a common commitment to build on the strength of our past affiliation towards even more productive collaboration.
“We can look forward to new opportunities in developing appreciation, education, knowledge and conservation of the plant kingdom and protecting the natural capital that sustains us.”
Mr Thapa said: “King Mahendra was so impressed by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh when he visited in 1960 that he inaugurated Nepal’s first and only National Botanic Garden two years later. RBGE horticultural staff are out in Nepal at the moment giving much-needed training to my staff and we are looking forward to developing our partnership in the future.”
Dr Mark Watson, Head of Major Floras at RBGE and Editor-in-Chief of the international Flora of Nepal research programme explained the significance of the MOU: “Although it is a small country, Nepal has an enormous range of habitats and is home to some 7000 species of vascular plants, making it a globally-important biodiversity hot-spot.
“However, conservation and sustainable use of plant biodiversity is hampered by the lack of primary inventory information and means to identify and characterise species. This is exacerbated by a lack of trained people to undertake plant biodiversity inventory and documentation. Poor facilities, lack of equipment and limited funding also need to be addressed.
“The process is underway. RBGE has led several in-country workshops and hands-on training events. MSc and PhD training of Nepalese botanists at the University of Edinburgh and RBGE is proving a success and many more ambitious plans are in the pipeline.”
Click here for more information on RBGE’s Flora of Nepal research programme.
Here’s to the next 200 years!
Commemorative space created in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden
A new national memorial dedicated to Scotland’s organ and tissue donors has been officially opened by Public Health Minister Michael Matheson.
Situated in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, the public memorial will provide a lasting tribute to those Scots who saved or improved the lives of others by making the decision to donate their organs or tissue after death.
Scottish artist Alec Finlay created the memorial, working with donor families, transplant recipients and health professionals.
It features a dry-stane ‘taigh’ (Gaelic for ‘house’) with a turf-roof, which seals in a set of river stones. Buried under the foundations is a memorial book containing the first names of every organ and tissue donor between 2006 and late 2013. This ‘wilding garden’ is also home to two circle poems and a ‘font’ containing pebbles collected from beaches around Scotland.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson visited the Scottish Government-funded memorial yesterday and met with donor families and transplant recipients involved in its development.
He said: “This memorial is a fitting tribute to the selfless generosity of organ and tissue donors and their families who, at a time of great tragedy, honour the wishes of their loved-ones. Through this act of kindness many lives are saved and it is right that this is marked through a public memorial.
“A very peaceful space has been created in this quiet corner of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which offers people the opportunity to reflect on the remarkable gift of organ and tissue donation. I hope that everyone whose lives have been touched in some way by donation can find peace and solace by visiting this memorial.”
Alec Finlay (pictured with Minister, above) said: “Organ and tissue donation touches many people: as an act of giving that passes between the dead and the living, it speaks to our values as a culture. I’ve been touched and honoured to share the task with so many people, from surgeons, to families, to the artist collaborators and gardeners who helped make the final artwork.”
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “This is a very inspiring and thought provoking project. Alec Finlay’s remarkable memorial sits beautifully in a tranquil and contemplative part of the Garden in keeping with its purpose and symbolism. It is our hope that our visitors will be moved to reflect on what organ transplantation and donation means to the lives of so many people.”
At the memorial the Minister met with husband-and-wife, Sandra and Craig Warden, who donated their 11-year-old daughter Rachel’s organs and in doing so, saved three lives.
Sandra said: “Giving someone the gift of life is so very important. Having this national memorial, set within these beautiful gardens, recognises and remembers all those who provided that gift of life to others.
“This memorial is for the families of donors, for transplant recipients and anyone whose lives have been touched by donation and transplantation. From when she was very young, Rachel understood organ donation and made me promise we would donate her organs if anything ever happened to her and we fulfilled her wishes.”
