watchingthedaisies

A Walk Through Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens

Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens hold a special place in my heart, for I have spent many happy hours there in the past. A repeat visit was high on my wish list when I visited Scotland in late August.

The East Gate Entrance

I love to enter by the East Gate as it borders Inverleith Row, where I once worked as a natural medicines therapist.

These beautiful daisy gates welcomed me!

The Rock Garden

One of my favourite areas – The Rock Garden, is close to the East Gate. I never tire of it’s beauty.

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Welcome Shade

Botanically restored, I strolled on through native woodlands, and very welcome shade from the hot sunshine.

The West Gate

The Gateway Restaurant inside The West Gate, beckoned me for a much needed cool drink and an ice cream. The view from the terrace is magical.

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An exhibition space is located downstairs in The John Hope Gateway.

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The Botanic’s Shop

The Botanic’s Shop next door was hard to resist! I bought the following bulbs and seeds:

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The shop sells a lovely variety of other horticultural gifts, that are very tempting…

The Herbaceous Border and Beech Hedge

The Herbaceous Border is another favourite of mine.

It has a stunning backdrop of an 8 metre high Beech hedge.

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The border induced a most wonderful sense of peace and JOY. I could have sat on a bench all day in admiration!

The following are some of the HOT colour combinations.

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Tended by industrious gardeners.

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And here are some more PASTEL colour combinations to inspire you in your planting.

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The Demonstration Garden

I walked on through The Demonstration Garden on the other side of the beech hedge, where visitors can meet The Edible Gardening Team, and learn more about vegetable growing.

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The Potato Famine

One bed in particular caught my attention – home to The Lumper variety of potato which was widely grown here in Ireland in the 1840s. Sadly, potato blight gave rise to a famine, which caused widespread emigration and an estimated 1 million deaths from starvation.

Visitor Information

The gardens cover more than 70 acres – way too much for me to cover in one day.

Garden Entry is free.

However, a fee is charged for The (ten) Glasshouses Visit and Guided Tours.

There are three places to eat and drink – The Gateway Restaurant at The West Gate, The Terrace Cafe and The East Gate Lodge Coffee Bar.

The Botanic’s Shop sells a wonderful variety of gifts, plants and souvenirs.

A “What’s On” and “Adult Education Programme” provide more horticultural inspiration.

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Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness.

 

56 comments

  4. Brigid, a wonderful treat for me this grey autumn morning as you bring alive the summer sunshine, warmth and colour of this divine gardens. You lead us through the various areas with knowledge and write with such love of the gardens. The rockers at the start is lovely, the beech hedge astonishing and wow, those borders are delightful. Woodland shade during the hot summer days is heavenly! Many thanks for for sharing and your comprehensive information. When I’m in Edinburgh I’ll make sure to visit!

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    • Thank you Annika. I do hope you get a chance to visit. The long borders were a little past their best at the end of August, but still spectacular. I would love to have had another day to see more, but alas the time was too short. xx

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  14. Beautiful, Brigid. This made me want to get outside and garden. I especially love the rock garden. We grow lots of ferns and moss and green slime out here in the rainforest, and it would look gorgeous on some big rocks. 🙂 A project for spring. 🙂

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  18. Brigid, you have created a wonderful post. Meaningful information and clear presentation as always. This place is heaven on earth, especially like that hedge… So impressive. Good luck with your Bergamot. Keep well.

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  21. Thanks Brigid for the beautiful photographs and sharing your memories of the place. I have made a note in my phone for the time when I will visit my son next month. He is a young man who is living and working in Edinburgh for the past year. I am sure he will appreciate visiting these places of interest that you have written about.
    I too will try to see some of these places providing the great Scottish weather plays along with me. I have decided to visit my son in November because I so want to see the Princes Street Christmas Market. It looked wonderful last year and I missed the opening by just one day.

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  23. Beautiful pics Brigid, thanks for sharing. Interesting to read about the lump potato.
    Happy memories of 1994 whistle stop tour of Edinburgh with mum r.i.p. Trip started at Steppes, Glasgow & visited mum’s cousins, stayed at lovely Kentallen by Appin for a few nights, travelled up to Inverness where we stayed a few nights & met my brother there on his way to somewhere. We visited another of mum’s cousins in Fort Augustus on the way up. From Inverness one day we visited friends in Alness & drove in the highlands. I thought Ireland was lovely but Scotland is so vast. One evening we visited Ardesier and on the way home via the Scottish Borders we visited Edinburgh.
    All definitely worth a revisit although all relatives & friends now passed away r.i.p.

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