Virtual Spring At The Royal Botanics!

By Hannah McLaren -

Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

The Royal Botanic Gardens invite you to join them this Virtual Spring…

We’re all stuck indoors. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy Scotland in spring! The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) invites you to join them on a virtual tour of their springtime gardens! Experience some of the joys of the season from the comfort of home thanks to Virtual Spring. The new online films and images of the four Gardens in bloom are full of colour and activity.

RBGE followed government guidelines to close its sites at Inverleith, Benmore, Logan and Dawyck. Realising how many visitors would be feeling disappointed, the ‘Botanics’ quickly set about arranging new forms of outreach.

Herbaceous Supervisor, Kirsty Wilson, says there is a deep desire to engage widely with members of the public during this difficult period.

“In early spring, even the smallest bloom is a cause for celebration,” Kirsty says. “We understand our Gardens are loved by thousands of people far and wide and it seems such as shame for everyone to miss out on the beauty of the season. So, while most of us are at home, we can still enjoy the simplest of joys. The Gardens might be closed, but spring is not cancelled!”

Prunus x yedoensis in full bloom.

The health and safety of staff, students, visitors and volunteers is paramount. Therefore, the closure has changed the way all staff work.

“Only a very small number of horticulture staff now work in shifts to tend our world-leading collection of plants,” Kirsty says. “They are doing a fantastic job in difficult circumstances. But, they are missing our many visitors and are keen to share the spectacular sights of the plant collection in full bloom. Now, everyone can enjoy the beauty of our Gardens from home through Virtual Spring and through our social media channels.”

Virtual Spring encompasses what is happening across the four remarkable Gardens – the flagship ‘Botanics’ in Edinburgh, Benmore in Argyll, Logan, in Galloway, and Dawyck, in the Scottish Borders. Scotland’s National Botanic Gardens hold one of the richest plant collections in the world with over 13,500 species.