The
Royal Botanic Gardens collections of trees shrubs and flowers
are an oasis of quiet,
And draw plantsmen and garden lovers
from many countries. The Royal Botanic Garden started life in
1670 with the founding of a Physic Garden near the Palace of Holyrood-house.
Three centuries later the garden is a thriving and a internationally
famous plant study centre and a haven of colour and scent throughout
the year. Moved to its present site in 1823 the garden covers
28 ha of undulating ground lying between the city centre and the
Firth of Forth. Winding paths link the different sections
of the garden, much of which is grassed and dotted with the superb
trees which comprise the Ardoretum, a collection of more than
2000 tree species, carpeted in Spring with delicate spreads of
bulbs. Spring flowers give way to the blazing colours of rhododendrons
and azaleas, there flaming reds and yellows are offset by under
planting lilies, primulas and meconopsis. The Rock Garden is at
its best in late spring, its rocky slopes brilliant with alpine
and Mediterranean plants, while near by the Heath Garden has year
round displays of Scottish and other heathers. High summer
sees the 165m long herbaceous border with its stately beech hedge,
at its best, and the rose collections fill the air with scent.
Horticulturalists will be fascinated by the Chinese garden where
wild plants clothe the slopes of a watery ravine leading to a
tranquil pond.
The garden is particularly famous for its glasshouses, a complex
of 10 contrasting structures where you'll find everything from Amazonian
rainforest plants to cacti from deserts all over the world. Don't
miss the Temperate Palm House, an elegant cast iron structure built
in 1858, and still the tallest in Britain.
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