5b. Edinburgh Part 4.

The Royal Botanic Garden

Scottish Scenes *  Scotland Index

A tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh in pictures with the minimum of text to read, ENJOY!

but best to visit the real thing!

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's collections include Alpine Plants, Chinese Hillside, Cryptogamic Garden, The Glasshouses, Palm House, Temperate Palms, Tropical Palms, Orchids and Cycads, Ferns and Fossils, Plants and people (including Giant Water Lily pond), Temperate lands, Rainforest Riches, Arid Lands, Montane tropical house (including Carnivorous plants), Wet Tropical House, Peat Walls, The Queen Mother's memorial garden, Rock Garden, Scottish Heath Garden, Woodland Garden.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is the most wonderful place to walk around at any time of the year.

A history of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden and its collections of plant species

[Author and photographer © Dr Phil Brown PhD plus help notes from AI these days, page updated May17th 2026]

* Doc Brown's Science Website biology chemistry physics *

The entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

 

The 'metallic' sculptured gate entrance to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

The cafe in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

 

Native Scottish plants of a shingle beach re-created in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

 

Glorious flower and shrub beds to walk around in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

*

 

Part of the rock garden of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

*

 

Plants of North America in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

Primulaceae, Primula alpicola var. alba from south-east Tibet

 

*

The stumpery wooded garden in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

Some old tree stumps in the stumpery of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

 

The Chinese Connection of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

 

Pinaceae, Cedrus deodara from the Himalayas in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's John Hope Gateway entrance to visitor centre and restaurant

 

 

 

 

The visitor and education centre in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

Interesting fabricated wood fittings

 

Illustrating global diversity in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, with audiovisual backup!

 

 

 

 

 

You can buy plants directly from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

An interesting restaurant design in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

Pinaceae, Larix x eurolepis (kaempferi x decidua) from Scotland

 

 

 

Student plots in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

The Botanic Cottage

 

Images of the herb garden of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

The herbology physic garden project of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

The scarecrows of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

Compositae, Artemisia 'Valerie Finnis' and labiatae, Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'

 

The lovely Palm House of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

The Palm House of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a fine looking building

 

The Glasshouse Palm House!

 

 

 

Plants of the tufa wall of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

Polemoniaceae, phlox grayi from south-west USA

 

 

 

Britain's biggest plant fossil in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a fossilised (petrified) tree trunk dating from 320-340 million years ago in the Carboniferous Period.

 

 

The Flanders fields of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

 

 

another example of pinaceae, cedrus deodara from the Himalayas in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

 

In the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a hardy tree species, 'Caucasian Wingnut', Pterocarya fraxinifolia

 

 

TOP OF PAGE

A history of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden and its collections of plant species

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has one of the richest, longest, and most scientifically important histories of any botanic garden in the world. What follows is a full, structured account of its origins, development, scientific role, and the extraordinary breadth of its plant collections — all grounded in authoritative sources.

⭐ Concise takeaway

Founded in 1670 as a small physic garden for medicinal plants, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has grown over 350 years into a world‑leading centre of biodiversity science, housing over three million preserved specimens and living collections representing two‑thirds of the world’s flora.

1. Origins: A 17th‑century physic garden (1670–1760)

Founding

  • Established in 1670 near Holyrood Abbey as a physic garden for training medical students in plant‑based remedies.
  • Founded by Andrew Balfour and Robert Sibbald, two pioneering Scottish physicians and naturalists.

Early moves

  • 1675: Relocated to Trinity Hospital to expand the collection.
  • 1683: Publication of Hortus Medicus Edinburgensis, the first catalogue of the garden’s plants.
  • 1699: Granted a Royal Warrant, formalising its national importance.

2. Expansion and Enlightenment era (1760–1820)

John Hope’s leadership

  • In 1761, Dr John Hope became Regius Keeper and transformed the garden into a centre of scientific botany.
  • 1763: The garden moved to a third site near Leith Walk, allowing for larger collections and early glasshouses.

Early glasshouses

  • 1713: First glasshouse built.
  • 1834: Opening of the Tropical Palm House, still one of the garden’s architectural highlights.

3. Move to Inverleith and Victorian growth (1820–1900)

The modern site

  • 1820: The garden began its move to Inverleith, its current 70‑acre site north of Edinburgh’s New Town.
  • This relocation allowed the creation of:
    • The Rock Garden (established 1908)
    • Extensive arboreta
    • New glasshouse ranges

Scientific expansion

  • 1845–1880: Under John Hutton Balfour, the garden became a major centre for taxonomy and plant exploration.
  • 1858: Opening of the Temperate Palm House, still the tallest of its kind in Britain.

4. Global plant collecting and the Herbarium (19th–20th centuries)

The Herbarium

  • RBGE’s Herbarium contains over three million preserved specimens, representing two‑thirds of the world’s flora.
  • Collections span 350 years and grow by ~30,000 specimens annually.
  • Digitisation has already imaged over one million specimens.

Integrated herbaria

RBGE absorbed numerous major herbaria, creating one of the world’s most comprehensive botanical archives:

  • University of Edinburgh Herbarium (transferred 1872)
  • Botanical Society of Edinburgh Herbarium (1839–40)
  • University of Glasgow Herbarium (foreign collections transferred 1965; cryptogams 2005)
  • Countess of Dalhousie’s East Indian Herbarium (received by 1837)
  • Léveillé Collection (acquired 1919)

These integrated collections make RBGE a global reference point for plant taxonomy.

5. 20th‑century developments: science, art, and public engagement

Key milestones

  • 1904: George Forrest begins major plant‑collecting expeditions in China.
  • 1914–18: RBGE pioneered the use of sphagnum moss as surgical dressing during WWI.
  • 1964: Opening of the new Herbarium and Library building.
  • 1967: Opening of the Front Range glasshouses.
  • 1986: Inverleith House opens as an exhibition space for art and botanical illustration.

Regional gardens

RBGE expanded into a network of four gardens representing Scotland’s climatic diversity:

  • Benmore (1929)
  • Logan (1969)
  • Dawyck (1979)

6. RBGE today: a global centre for biodiversity science

Scientific leadership

RBGE is now a world leader in:

  • Taxonomy & systematics
  • Conservation biology
  • Biodiversity genomics
  • Climate‑change research
  • Global plant surveys

Its preserved collections underpin research worldwide.

Living collections

Although the search results focus on preserved collections, RBGE’s living collections (inferred from its role and history) include:

  • Alpine and rock garden species
  • Temperate and tropical glasshouse plants
  • Conifers and rhododendrons
  • Scottish native flora
  • East Asian and Himalayan species (reflecting historic expeditions)

This inference is consistent with RBGE’s long history of global plant collecting and its glasshouse infrastructure.

7. What makes RBGE unique?

A 350‑year continuous scientific institution

From a 17th‑century physic garden to a 21st‑century biodiversity hub.

One of the world’s largest herbaria

Three million specimens, representing most of the world’s plant families.

Integrated historical collections

Absorbing major Scottish and international herbaria.

A global research footprint

Partnerships from Bhutan to China, and conservation programmes for threatened species.

TOP OF PAGE

Here is a single, integrated, richly structured guide that combines:

  • A guided walk through the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE)
  • The full history of its glasshouses
  • Profiles of the most important plant collectors and the living/herbarium collections they contributed

This is written as a walk‑through experience, but layered with deep historical and scientific context — exactly the kind of synthesis you enjoy.

THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

A Guided Walk Through 350 Years of Science, Exploration & Living Collections

1. BEGINNING THE WALK — THE EAST GATE (Inverleith Row)

A quiet entrance into a global institution

You step through the East Gate into a landscape that looks serene, but is actually the product of centuries of scientific ambition.

Immediately you’re walking in the footsteps of:

  • Andrew Balfour & Robert Sibbald (founders, 1670)
  • John Hope (Enlightenment botanist who professionalised the garden)
  • George Forrest, Ernest Wilson, Frank Kingdon‑Ward (legendary plant hunters)

The garden’s layout is deliberately designed to echo its history: formal beds near the entrances, then increasingly wild and global landscapes as you move inward.

2. THE PALM HOUSE TERRACE — GLASSHOUSES & THEIR HISTORY

A living museum of architectural and botanical innovation

You now stand before one of the most iconic sights in Scottish horticulture:
the Temperate Palm House (1858), the tallest traditional glasshouse in Britain.

A brief history of RBGE’s glasshouses

Period Development Significance
1713 First glasshouse at the Leith Walk site Allowed overwintering of tender medicinal plants
1834 First Tropical Palm House Early experiment in large‑scale heated cultivation
1858 Temperate Palm House (still standing) Victorian engineering masterpiece; 72 ft high
1874–1890s Expansion of glass ranges Enabled global plant collecting to be displayed
1967 Modern Front Range glasshouses Scientific cultivation, research, conservation
2020s–present Major redevelopment programme Climate‑controlled, sustainable, research‑driven

What you see inside

  • Tree ferns from Tasmania
  • Palms from the Canary Islands
  • Giant cycads — living fossils older than dinosaurs
  • Temperate orchids and bromeliads

These collections reflect Victorian plant‑hunting and modern conservation priorities.

3. HE ROCK GARDEN — A MASTERPIECE OF ALPINE BOTANY

Created 1908; inspired by the Himalayas and China

This is one of the finest rock gardens in the world, and it exists largely because of RBGE’s extraordinary plant collectors.

Plants you’ll see

  • Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis)
  • Primulas collected by George Forrest
  • Alpine saxifrages
  • Dwarf rhododendrons from Yunnan and Tibet

Why it matters

RBGE is a world leader in alpine and montane botany, and this garden is a living library of high‑altitude species.

4. THE CHINESE HILLSIDE — A LIVING LEGACY OF PLANT HUNTERS

A landscape shaped by adventure, danger, and scientific ambition

This hillside is a tribute to the great Scottish plant collectors who explored China, Tibet, and the Himalayas.

Key collectors & their contributions

1. George Forrest (1873–1932)

RBGE’s most prolific collector.
He undertook seven expeditions to Yunnan, bringing back:

  • Hundreds of rhododendron species
  • Primulas, gentians, lilies
  • Thousands of herbarium specimens

His collections underpin RBGE’s global reputation.

2. Ernest “Chinese” Wilson (1876–1930)

Though more associated with Kew and the Arnold Arboretum, Wilson’s material enriched RBGE’s collections too.

He introduced:

  • Davidia involucrata (the handkerchief tree)
  • Many magnolias
  • Chinese conifers

3. Frank Kingdon‑Ward (1885–1958)

Explorer of Burma, Tibet, and Assam.
He contributed:

  • Blue poppies (Meconopsis betonicifolia)
  • Rare rhododendrons
  • High‑altitude shrubs and herbs

4. Joseph Rock (1884–1962)

Austrian‑American botanist whose collections were shared widely.
RBGE holds many of his specimens from:

  • Yunnan
  • Sichuan
  • Tibetan borderlands

5. The Dalhousie Collection (early 19th century)

Countess of Dalhousie’s East Indian Herbarium (received by RBGE in 1837) includes:

  • Early Himalayan specimens
  • Indian ferns and orchids
  • Some of the earliest scientifically documented Asian plants in Britain

5. THE ARBORETUM — TREES FROM EVERY CONTINENT

A walk through global forests

As you descend from the Chinese Hillside, you enter the Arboretum, a sweeping landscape of mature trees.

Highlights

  • Giant redwoods (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
  • Chilean monkey puzzle trees
  • Japanese maples
  • Himalayan birches
  • Scottish native pines

Many of these were grown from seed collected by RBGE expeditions.

6. THE HERBARIUM & LIBRARY (not normally open to the public)

The scientific heart of RBGE

RBGE’s Herbarium contains:

  • 3 million preserved specimens
  • Representing two‑thirds of the world’s flora
  • Some dating back to the 1690s

What’s inside

  • Forrest’s Yunnan collections
  • Dalhousie’s East Indian Herbarium
  • Léveillé’s vast Asian collections (acquired 1919)
  • Cryptogams from the University of Glasgow
  • Scottish native flora archives

This is one of the world’s most important botanical research libraries.

7. THE SCOTTISH NATIVE PLANT COLLECTIONS

A reminder that Scotland itself is botanically rich

RBGE is not only global — it is the national centre for Scottish flora.

You’ll see

  • Caledonian pine forest species
  • Bog plants: sundews, cotton grass
  • Montane willows
  • Hebridean endemics

RBGE leads conservation programmes for many threatened Scottish species.

8. THE WALK ENDS — BUT THE STORY CONTINUES

As you return to the gate, you’ve walked through:

  • 350 years of scientific history
  • Victorian engineering
  • Global plant exploration
  • Modern conservation biology

RBGE is not just a garden — it is a world‑class scientific institution, a living museum, and a sanctuary for global biodiversity.

TOP OF PAGE

previous page <==> next page

  Scotland Index

pictures images photographs docspics of Scotland  © Phil Brown * Scottish Tourism information visiting Scotland, Touring Holidays in Scotland, Top tourist attractions when visiting Scotland, accommodation & great hospitality, luxury hotels, self-catering holiday cottages in Scotland, B&B, hostels to suit all budgets, dining out local food restaurants to visit, cafes, restaurants, pubs, inns, scenic rail tours coach tours of Scotland, walking & climbing holidays in the Scottish Highlands, Scottish bargain weekend breaks, historic Scottish towns, art galleries, museums tourism information for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, top tourist attractions near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, accommodation near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, luxury hotels near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, things to do near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, B&B near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, self-catering holiday cottages near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, YHA Youth Hostels near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, property for sale near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, what to see near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, friendly pubs near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, great walking walks around the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, where to eat near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, eating/dining out near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh restaurants near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, cafes near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, pubs bars near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, historic towns & cities, churches near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, castles, abbeys, museums near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, art galleries near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, local transport buses trains near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, interesting historic buildings near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, weekend breaks near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, bargain city-breaks, walking near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland, transport connections to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh popular tourist attractions near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh tourist information for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh good places to wining and dining near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh good walks near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh properties for sale near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, renting a flat of house near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, property for rent near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, houses for sale near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, lettings near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

YORK Scenes and Notes LAKE DISTRICT PICTURES of England's Northern Lakeland IRELAND - IRISH Scenes and Notes DUBLIN Scenes and Notes LONDON Scenes and Notes Scenes from PARIS, capital city of France YORKSHIRE DALES and North Pennines scenes and notes
Email Docs Pics EASTERN ENGLAND & East Anglia WALES - Welsh Scenes & Notes ENGLISH MIDLANDS Scenes and Notes NORTHUMBRIA, Co. DURHAM and NEWCASTLE Scenes and Notes YORKSHIRE DALES and North Pennines scenes and notes SCOTLAND - SCOTTISH Scenes and Notes Scenes and notes from SOUTHERN ENGLAND

TOP OF PAGE