Tag: Botanics

Christmas at the Botanics opens today

Christmas cheer set to be sprinkled across the capital to close 2020 on a high

Christmas at the Botanics opens today [2 December] unveiling a series of magical light installations inspired by all things Christmas.

Bringing much-needed merriment to round off a tough year for all, the twinkling trail will be one of the few festive activities happening in the capital this year thanks to its outdoor setting and a series of stringent health and safety measures to protect visitors.

These include regulated entry time slots, limited capacities, reduced dwell times, contactless ticket scanning and a one-way trail route. 

Attendees must book their tickets online in advance of their visit and follow the lasted Scottish Government restrictions on travel and meeting others.

Delivering a dazzling display of lights, projections and lasers, the one mile long after-dark extravaganza will welcome back some of the Garden’s most popular installations including the Cathedral of Light and Laser Garden.

For those who are on his ‘good’ list this year, Santa Claus will make an appearance outside on the trail to greet visitors at a distance, while several new installations include a projected light show on the Garden’s modernist Front Range Glasshouses and Starfield – a display of 20 giant LED twinkling stars – are also set to be firm favourites for 2020. 

In line with Scotland’s new Covid-19 local protection levels and travel restrictions, this year the trail’s success is dependent on support from the residents of the City of Edinburgh local authority area.  

Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “We are calling on the people of Edinburgh to show their support by visiting Christmas at the Botanics.

“By coming to the trail not only will visitors enjoy a wonderful festive experience but also help us and our work enormously. Profits from the trail go to help finance our important and innovative plant research and conservation programmes in Scotland and around the world. 

“Never has our work been more crucial as we face the interrelated challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, biodiversity loss and climate change. This has been a hugely difficult year for us all. At the Botanics, we want to end the year by creating something very special for the City and we hope everyone will come and enjoy some festive fun.”

The 2019 trail welcomed 76,000 visitors during its five-week run – and the 2020 event promises to be equally as popular.

Jonathan Marks, Chief Development Director at Raymond Gubbay, a division of Sony Music, which promotes the event, added: “Christmas at the Botanics has established itself as a truly uplifting experience that helps the capital kick off the festive season in style, and it’s never been more needed than in 2020.

“A lot of work has gone into making the trail Covid-safe so that our customers can visit with confidence.  I am thrilled that the team has made it happen. The fusion of the beautiful natural setting of the Garden combined with the striking, modern art created by the lights provides a deeply atmospheric and magical setting and we can’t wait for visitors to experience it for themselves.”

Due to Covid-19 ALL tickets must be pre-booked for the trail in advance online. For ticket information, pricing and timings, please visit the website below and follow @mychristmastrails #ChristmasAtTheBotanics

https://christmasatthebotanics.seetickets.com/timeslots/christmas-at-the-botanics/

Christmas at the Botanics is one of seven illuminated trails by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.

More information on the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh health and safety measures can be accessed here: https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/visiting-us-during-covid-19/

PICTURES: Phil Wilkinson

Christmas at the Botanics returns to bring cheer to the Capital

Record run for popular winter event

Christmas at the Botanics – the magical and botanical illuminated trail – is returning in 2020 for its longest run ever.

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the event will be held over a record 32-nights from 26 November to 3 January within the stunning setting of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (selected evenings only).

The trail promises to round off 2020 on a high and bring cheer into 2021 as it delivers a dazzling display of lights, projections and lasers that will surprise and delight those who attend.     

The one mile long after-dark extravaganza will welcome back some of the most popular festive installations including the Cathedral of Light and Laser Garden, as well as an appearance by Santa Claus and the festive finale which will be projected onto Inverleith House. 

As ever, the trail will also feature several new installations with new attractions including a projected light show on the 128 metre long modernist Front Range Glasshouses and Starfield – a large-scale installation of white LED twinkling stars by audio-visual designers Art AV.

Now a centrepiece of Edinburgh’s festive calendar, Christmas at the Botanics will form the pièce de résistance on the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s 350th anniversary year. 

The event also looks to welcome back devotees of the Garden who were not able to visit when the Garden was temporarily closed because of Covid-19. 

The 2019 event welcomed 76,000 visitors during its five-week run – and the 2020 event promises to be as popular to those from Edinburgh and beyond.

Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “Having experienced the closure of our four Gardens for several weeks as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that we open for Christmas at the Botanics and I hope that all who attend will benefit from the festive cheer it brings.

“This year’s event is even more special as it forms part of our 350th anniversary celebrations which have been significantly impacted by the lockdown. The work of the Botanics has never been more important globally in protecting the environment, human lives and economies. By coming to our event, visitors will play a vital role in funding plant research and conservation.

“We want to reassure all those planning to attend that we will have new health and safety measures in place to protect visitors. While this might mean that one or two of our installations may change this year, rest assured we want everyone who comes to the trail to enjoy their visit safely – whether this is their first time or if they have attended before.”

Jonathan Marks, Chief Development Director at Raymond Gubbay, a division of Sony Music, which promotes the event, added: “Christmas at the Botanics has established itself as a truly uplifting event that helps to set the tone for the festive season in Edinburgh.

“We are delighted to return to the spectacular backdrop that is the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. We’ll welcome back some of the most loved installations as well as keeping the anticipation of the after-dark spectacle high with the introduction of some new and exciting exhibits. We can’t wait for visitors to see what we have in store for them this year.”

Tickets for this year’s show are on sale now. For further ticket information, pricing and timings, please visit www.rbge.org.uk/christmas.

Christmas at the Botanics is one of seven illuminated trails brought to you by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music. Christmas at the Botanics is held in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.

For more details visit https://mychristmastrails.co.uk/ and follow @mychristmastrails on Facebook and Instagram.

Botanics launches vegan and gluten-free afternoon teas

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is now serving its new indulgent afternoon tea menu, that for the first time includes completely vegan and gluten-free experiences. 

Created by Sodexo, the foodie team behind the restaurant and cafés at the Botanics, the new addition is the perfect way to enhance a fantastic day at the Gardens.

Launching in time for Mother’s Day, The Gateway Restaurant provides a relaxed and contemporary backdrop to enjoy a mouth-watering afternoon tea, whilst overlooking the gardens from this world-renowned sustainable venue. Available from 6 March, the new offer is inspired by the gardens, bringing the outdoors in and onto the plate.

Served from 2.30pm each day, the Botanical Afternoon Tea features an edible plant pot and mini cone topped with candy floss along with a selection of seasonal sandwiches and sweet treats guaranteed to tantalise the taste buds.

A highlight of the vegan option is the sausage roll made with locally sourced wild mushrooms and on the gluten free menu, the venue has introduced a savoury quiche.

The chocolate trough, inspired by a window box features on all three menus as does the quintessential scone. Served on individually decorated stands afternoon tea can be enjoyed in the restaurant, or al fresco on the terrace.

Commenting on the new afternoon tea, Susan Holligan, Catering General Manager at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “This new immersive afternoon tea provides guests with a complete Botanics experience.

“The menu has been designed to showcase the best of the garden and reflect how it changes during the year. It will feature seasonal dishes that illustrate the changing flora and fauna surrounding our restaurant.

“We want to ensure everyone can enjoy the decadent afternoon tea experience regardless of dietary requirements, so with an estimated 600,000 vegans in the UK and 8.5 million people on gluten-free diets, we have worked hard to create the perfect alternatives.

“We don’t believe in simply substituting certain items to fulfil allergy requirements, we have worked just as hard on our full vegan and gluten-free stands so that everyone has the perfect Botanical Afternoon Tea experience.

“Afternoon tea is always a popular occasion, but it certainly peaks around Mother’s Day when families come together to spoil their mum or grandma. And with this literally just around the corner, we’d advise early booking to avoid disappointment.”

Available from 6 March, afternoon tea costs £24.95 per person with unlimited tea and coffee, or £29.95 per person with a glass of fizz. The gluten-free and vegan options have to be ordered 24 hours in advance.

Pre-booking isn’t essential but recommended.

The Botanics wedding experts unveil top 10 trends for the big day in 2020

Planning a wedding can be stressful, not least because of the amount of choices presented to couples, from the colour scheme and dress to the food, drinks and those little touches.

However, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has its own wedding event design to ensure help is on hand to navigate through the options and create the perfect day. Continue reading The Botanics wedding experts unveil top 10 trends for the big day in 2020

Green light for Botanics plans

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has won the backing of city councillors to proceed with an ambitious £70m initiative to safeguard Scotland’s priceless national plant collections and future proof its status as a world-leading centre for plant science, education, horticulture and conservation.

State-of-the-art facilities will underpin the Garden’s core activities, while the visitor experience will be greatly enhanced through the refurbishment and extension of the popular public Glasshouses. Continue reading Green light for Botanics plans

Award for smelliest performance at the Fringe goes to the Botantics?

Let’s hear it for Wee Reekie!

Festival audiences are being invited to turn-up their noses at one show in Scotland’s capital this week.

An energetic young personality at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is ready to put on a performance and create a bit of a stink for anyone interested in witnessing something of the natural world’s bizarre – and potentially slightly whiffy wonders! Continue reading Award for smelliest performance at the Fringe goes to the Botantics?

Microsculpture: Levon Biss exhibition at The Botanics

Microsculpture – The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss

Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is hosting ‘Microsculpture’ an exhibition of giant insect portraits exposed in microscopic detail. Famed photographer Levon Biss partnered with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for the project. Continue reading Microsculpture: Levon Biss exhibition at The Botanics

Titan Arum’s in flower – catch it while you can

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum), one of the world’s biggest and smelliest blooms, came into flower on Sunday. The Garden stayed open late into the evening to give curious visitors the chance to see, and smell, the plant in all its pungent glory!

Visit the RBGE website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates on what the plant is doing.

Blooming hat-trick for Botanics’ record-breaking smelly giant!!

Scotland’s world-beating Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) looks set to bloom for an incredible third time, prompting fresh opportunities for scientific, horticultural and entomological studies into this smelliest and most contradictory of plants at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) – and calling-in strategies to ensure a warm welcome for considerably increased visitor numbers in the Glasshouses!

Both a celebrity – with its own social media following – and an enigma to everyone who knows it, the RBGE specimen continues to offer as many questions as answers to the leading scientists and horticulturists who have tended it for 17 years.

When the corm was last measured, in 2010, it weighed 153.9kg, making it the largest ever recorded. Research on the plant during two previous flowerings at RBGE – in 2015 and 2017 – gave the scientists in Edinburgh, working with counterparts in South East Asia, the information they required to ensure the species is now classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Plants, through natural habitat loss.

The new bud emerged on May 12, exactly four years to the day from the first flower bud. When it first flowered, in June 2015, 19,000 people made their way through the Lowland Tropics House  over four days days to see the spectacle.

Tropical Botanist Dr Mark Hughes, who specialises in the plants of SE Asia, said: “The Amorphophallus titanum only grows naturally on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Its flowering here, at RBGE, for the third time symbolises our long-term commitment to the research and conservation efforts in that region.

“In the past five years our scientists have described 35 new species from Indonesian forests, showing how much remains to be discovered and protected for the future. This flowering provides an amazing opportunity to speak about the incredible plant diversity of the world.’’

The Amorphophallus titanum is a giant among plants, with a massive flowering structure that can rise some three metres above the ground. Even in its native Sumatra, its flowering is rare and unpredictable. The short-lived, night time bloom initially emits a pungent smell to attract pollinating insects such as carrion beetles and flies, hence the common name “corpse plant”.

Successfully bringing it to the point of flowering involves replicating the conditions it would experience in the rainforests. The Lowland Tropics House provides the required high humidity and temperatures. On two consecutive nights during flowering certain parts of the inflorescence heat up by 10 degrees centigrade. This heating coincides with the opening of first the female and then the male flowers, and helps to spread the smell and attract pollinators.

Glasshouse Supervisor Louise Galloway, whose team cares for the plant on a day-to-day basis concluded: “The Amorphophallus titanum can be difficult to grow to flowering stage and they usually take about seven to 10 years to reach maturity.

“Often after flowering and setting seed in the wild the plant’s energy is exhausted and it dies. We have been very lucky to have a stable corm, which has produced a consistent flower every two years since maturing.

“Its survival may be partly a result of it not being pollinated; however, our plants get a lot of TLC and, as a result, our corm has a circumference of 2.5m and a depth of nearly a metre. This massive energy reserve keeps it thriving and blooming successively. We have pollen stored and hope to pollinate successfully this time around.

“We are asking other botanic gardens what happens with their corm after blooming and setting seed.  By sharing information, we hope to learn more about these increasingly rare and unusual plants and how the plants lifecycle can differ between growing in the wild and in cultivation.”

Sumatra is a key area of research and conservation work for RBGE scientists and horticulturists. Working widely with their counterparts in Southeast Asia they are making major impact on world knowledge of diverse tropical plant families.

On June 26 a significant representation of the research institute’s Tropical Team fly out to Universiti Brunei, Darussalam, for  the 11th Flora Malesiana Symposium for international debate on the development of the taxonomic studies pivotal in understanding the incredible plant diversity of South East Asia.

 www.rbge.org.uk