Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

INTRODUCTION People relate to botanic gardens in different ways. For many their foremost role is as centres of excellence for botanical and horticultural research – meeting the pressing challenge of understanding and conserving the world’s botanical resources upon which all known life depends. But for a child they are places of wonder and exploration; somewhere to be free and in touch with the natural world. Training, inspiring and engaging individuals and communities with plants is at the top of some agendas, while botanic gardens’ role as destinations for relaxation and wellbeing will be the focus of others.

The items chosen for this book expose the breadth, depth and relevance of one of the world’s greatest botanic gardens. Through it I’m delighted to share some of what is exceptional in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE); to give a personal insight into a very special world of science, history and beauty, and to encourage enjoyment and appreciation of the world of plants. It tells the stories of three and a half centuries of plant science, horticulture and education, and celebrates the extraordinary achievements of those who have made this an internationally treasured institution.

The world was a very different place in the seventeenth century when the organisation was founded. The aftermath and impact of civil war, plague and famine were still apparent, yet this was also a time of discovery and enquiry in Scotland – activities that remain central to our work in the twenty-first century. Two doctors, Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour, established a collection of medicinal plants in Holyrood Park for research and teaching. They cultivated seeds from Europe and beyond as well as native plants, thereby helping establish Edinburgh’s reputation as a centre of medical and botanical excellence.

The Garden has since moved at least three times to new sites within Edinburgh, and now includes three further Garden sites across Scotland – Benmore Botanic Garden in the Highland setting of Argyll, Dawyck Botanic Garden in the Scottish Borders and Logan Botanic Garden on the Dumfries and Galloway coast – collectively home to one of the finest plant collections in the world, our Living Collection of 13,500 species of plants from 157 countries. The four different sites give us a remark-

4

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

able diversity of habitats, allowing us to grow a surprising amount of international plants outside, as well as more tender species under glass – including some that are extinct in the wild and others that are new to science. The Gardens are ‘safe houses’ for threatened species and provide a superb resource for research, education and pleasure.

Preserved plants and fungi also provide a valuable research resource, and our Herbarium of three million specimens is exceptional. Dating back to 1697, the collection is in high demand by scientists and students around the world and is also vital to plant identification and research relating to ecology and evolution. We describe, on average, three species new to science a month.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh also boasts an enormous collection of botanical and horticultural literature and art. This collection is of great cultural, scientific and historical significance, containing some 70,000 books and periodicals, pamphlets, illustrations, maps and photographic slides. The Library Collection also holds around 4,000 rare or special books and is Scotland’s national reference collection for botany and horticulture, open to public visitors. The Archives hold manuscripts, photographs and drawings dating from the eighteenth to the twenty-first Begonia samhaensis M. Hughes and A.G. Mill.

INTRODUCTION

­|

5

INTRODUCTION People relate to botanic gardens in different ways. For many their foremost role is as centres of excellence for botanical and horticultural research – meeting the pressing challenge of understanding and conserving the world’s botanical resources upon which all known life depends. But for a child they are places of wonder and exploration; somewhere to be free and in touch with the natural world. Training, inspiring and engaging individuals and communities with plants is at the top of some agendas, while botanic gardens’ role as destinations for relaxation and wellbeing will be the focus of others.

The items chosen for this book expose the breadth, depth and relevance of one of the world’s greatest botanic gardens. Through it I’m delighted to share some of what is exceptional in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE); to give a personal insight into a very special world of science, history and beauty, and to encourage enjoyment and appreciation of the world of plants. It tells the stories of three and a half centuries of plant science, horticulture and education, and celebrates the extraordinary achievements of those who have made this an internationally treasured institution.

The world was a very different place in the seventeenth century when the organisation was founded. The aftermath and impact of civil war, plague and famine were still apparent, yet this was also a time of discovery and enquiry in Scotland – activities that remain central to our work in the twenty-first century. Two doctors, Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour, established a collection of medicinal plants in Holyrood Park for research and teaching. They cultivated seeds from Europe and beyond as well as native plants, thereby helping establish Edinburgh’s reputation as a centre of medical and botanical excellence.

The Garden has since moved at least three times to new sites within Edinburgh, and now includes three further Garden sites across Scotland – Benmore Botanic Garden in the Highland setting of Argyll, Dawyck Botanic Garden in the Scottish Borders and Logan Botanic Garden on the Dumfries and Galloway coast – collectively home to one of the finest plant collections in the world, our Living Collection of 13,500 species of plants from 157 countries. The four different sites give us a remark-

4

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

able diversity of habitats, allowing us to grow a surprising amount of international plants outside, as well as more tender species under glass – including some that are extinct in the wild and others that are new to science. The Gardens are ‘safe houses’ for threatened species and provide a superb resource for research, education and pleasure.

Preserved plants and fungi also provide a valuable research resource, and our Herbarium of three million specimens is exceptional. Dating back to 1697, the collection is in high demand by scientists and students around the world and is also vital to plant identification and research relating to ecology and evolution. We describe, on average, three species new to science a month.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh also boasts an enormous collection of botanical and horticultural literature and art. This collection is of great cultural, scientific and historical significance, containing some 70,000 books and periodicals, pamphlets, illustrations, maps and photographic slides. The Library Collection also holds around 4,000 rare or special books and is Scotland’s national reference collection for botany and horticulture, open to public visitors. The Archives hold manuscripts, photographs and drawings dating from the eighteenth to the twenty-first Begonia samhaensis M. Hughes and A.G. Mill.

INTRODUCTION

­|

5

to Scotland and from Colombia to Nepal. Our international education programmes are producing the plant experts of the future, and we provide opportunities to people from all backgrounds to become actively involved in our work, whether in the study of moss, engaging with primary school children or growing vegetables. We nurture curiosity, wonder, enjoyment and care for our natural environment and take great pride in ensuring that our one million annual visitors can delight and relax in the beauty of our Garden landscapes.

Unsurprisingly, given our long history and rich collections, it was a great challenge to select items for this book, but I am confident that our selection provides an exciting insight into this remarkable and diverse organisation.

Unquestionably the real secret to our achievements and capability is the determination, energy and skills of staff, volunteers and partners past and present. We are building on the legacy of our predecessors to ensure that we remain a centre of botanical excellence and address some of today’s biggest global challenges: ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. It is an enormous privilege to serve the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and to lead such an inspirational and agreeable team.

century and are a priceless resource that continues to reveal new and exciting information.

Our research is carried out by a team of 100 scientists working in partnership with 35 countries on projects ranging from DNA sequencing and plant evolution to research into wild crop relatives and the science that underpins a range of conservation projects across four continents. Today it is estimated that over 50,000 medicinal plants are used across the world and 25 per cent of modern drugs are plant derived, yet it is estimated that 20 per cent of the world’s plant species are threatened with extinction. The need for plant research, education and horticulture is more important than ever.

Securing the future of the world’s botanical resources and the successful management of ecosystems to support societal needs requires not only high-quality plant scientists and horticulturists but also the engagement of people across the globe with plants and their sustainable use. We engage with communities from Tanzania

6

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Fieldwork is a vital part of botanical research.

We nurture curiosity, wonder, enjoyment and care for our natural environment.

INTRODUCTION

­|

7

to Scotland and from Colombia to Nepal. Our international education programmes are producing the plant experts of the future, and we provide opportunities to people from all backgrounds to become actively involved in our work, whether in the study of moss, engaging with primary school children or growing vegetables. We nurture curiosity, wonder, enjoyment and care for our natural environment and take great pride in ensuring that our one million annual visitors can delight and relax in the beauty of our Garden landscapes.

Unsurprisingly, given our long history and rich collections, it was a great challenge to select items for this book, but I am confident that our selection provides an exciting insight into this remarkable and diverse organisation.

Unquestionably the real secret to our achievements and capability is the determination, energy and skills of staff, volunteers and partners past and present. We are building on the legacy of our predecessors to ensure that we remain a centre of botanical excellence and address some of today’s biggest global challenges: ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. It is an enormous privilege to serve the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and to lead such an inspirational and agreeable team.

century and are a priceless resource that continues to reveal new and exciting information.

Our research is carried out by a team of 100 scientists working in partnership with 35 countries on projects ranging from DNA sequencing and plant evolution to research into wild crop relatives and the science that underpins a range of conservation projects across four continents. Today it is estimated that over 50,000 medicinal plants are used across the world and 25 per cent of modern drugs are plant derived, yet it is estimated that 20 per cent of the world’s plant species are threatened with extinction. The need for plant research, education and horticulture is more important than ever.

Securing the future of the world’s botanical resources and the successful management of ecosystems to support societal needs requires not only high-quality plant scientists and horticulturists but also the engagement of people across the globe with plants and their sustainable use. We engage with communities from Tanzania

6

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Fieldwork is a vital part of botanical research.

We nurture curiosity, wonder, enjoyment and care for our natural environment.

INTRODUCTION

­|

7

Meconopsis

I was very excited as a child to raise my first blue poppy in my family’s Perthshire garden. Since then I have had the good fortune and pleasure of seeing and collecting Meconopsis in its native habitat in the Himalaya, and I continue to be captivated by the beauty of the genus. Meconopsis has been cultivated successfully at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh since 1867, with our earliest collections of living and preserved material originating from our links to Scottish botanist-surgeons in British India venturing into the Himalaya. We were the first to publish cultivation techniques for Meconopsis and our collections have continued to benefit from our collaborations with China, Nepal and Bhutan.

We continue to receive seed introductions through international collaborations and supporting horticultural research.

We are very proud to hold in our Herbarium arguably the finest collection of preserved Meconopsis diversity, which is used extensively as an international research resource. It is remarkable to see how some of our older specimens have retained traces of colour in their flowers.

Himalayan blue poppies are best enjoyed as drifts planted in woodland gardens, and should be sheltered from strong wind and sun. All four of our Gardens boast fine displays in late spring and early summer. Look out for my favourite, a hybrid called Meconopsis ‘Slieve Donard’, named after the highest hill in Northern Ireland.

8

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Meconopsis ‘Slieve Donard’.

MECONOPSIS

­|

9

Meconopsis

I was very excited as a child to raise my first blue poppy in my family’s Perthshire garden. Since then I have had the good fortune and pleasure of seeing and collecting Meconopsis in its native habitat in the Himalaya, and I continue to be captivated by the beauty of the genus. Meconopsis has been cultivated successfully at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh since 1867, with our earliest collections of living and preserved material originating from our links to Scottish botanist-surgeons in British India venturing into the Himalaya. We were the first to publish cultivation techniques for Meconopsis and our collections have continued to benefit from our collaborations with China, Nepal and Bhutan.

We continue to receive seed introductions through international collaborations and supporting horticultural research.

We are very proud to hold in our Herbarium arguably the finest collection of preserved Meconopsis diversity, which is used extensively as an international research resource. It is remarkable to see how some of our older specimens have retained traces of colour in their flowers.

Himalayan blue poppies are best enjoyed as drifts planted in woodland gardens, and should be sheltered from strong wind and sun. All four of our Gardens boast fine displays in late spring and early summer. Look out for my favourite, a hybrid called Meconopsis ‘Slieve Donard’, named after the highest hill in Northern Ireland.

8

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Meconopsis ‘Slieve Donard’.

MECONOPSIS

­|

9

Inverleith House

This imposing Georgian mansion sits on the highest point of the Edinburgh Garden with fine views across the New Town, Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat. Built in 1774 as the estate house to a design by David Henderson, Inverleith House and its remaining grounds became part of the Garden in 1876. The then Regius Keeper, John Hutton Balfour, wanted it to be used as a museum of arboriculture, but after unsuccessful wrangles with the Council it became the Regius Keeper’s residence, much against his wishes.

The house was so damp that Hutton Balfour invited the Scottish Cryptogamic Society to view the property to identify the range of fungi growing on the interior walls, the results of which he sent to Edinburgh Council in a bid to claim more coal for drying the house. One of the fungi the Society identified was a new species, which was duly named after Hutton Balfour’s daughter Ada. Garden folklore has stories of other Regius Keepers when in residence.

These include William Wright Smith’s daughter learning to drive somewhat erratically in the grounds and Isaac Bayley Balfour keeping a belligerent cow in the garden to increase his family’s milk supply during the First World War. Harold Fletcher was appointed Regius Keeper in 1956 and decided that he didn’t want to live in Inverleith House, with or without mouldy walls, and so the building ceased to be a private residence. Its situation and abundant natural light made it an ideal contender for an art gallery and from 1960 to 1986 it became the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, then subsequently the Garden’s own gallery with an extensive programme of contemporary art exhibitions. The House continues to welcome visitors for events and exhibitions with particular emphasis on marrying plant science with art, something in which we are recognised as world-leading.

30

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Reginald Cotterell Butler (1913–1981) Girl London, 1957–58 Bronze Base: 610 × 610 mm On loan from National Galleries of Scotland GMA 809

INVERLEITH HOUSE

­|

31

Inverleith House

This imposing Georgian mansion sits on the highest point of the Edinburgh Garden with fine views across the New Town, Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat. Built in 1774 as the estate house to a design by David Henderson, Inverleith House and its remaining grounds became part of the Garden in 1876. The then Regius Keeper, John Hutton Balfour, wanted it to be used as a museum of arboriculture, but after unsuccessful wrangles with the Council it became the Regius Keeper’s residence, much against his wishes.

The house was so damp that Hutton Balfour invited the Scottish Cryptogamic Society to view the property to identify the range of fungi growing on the interior walls, the results of which he sent to Edinburgh Council in a bid to claim more coal for drying the house. One of the fungi the Society identified was a new species, which was duly named after Hutton Balfour’s daughter Ada. Garden folklore has stories of other Regius Keepers when in residence.

These include William Wright Smith’s daughter learning to drive somewhat erratically in the grounds and Isaac Bayley Balfour keeping a belligerent cow in the garden to increase his family’s milk supply during the First World War. Harold Fletcher was appointed Regius Keeper in 1956 and decided that he didn’t want to live in Inverleith House, with or without mouldy walls, and so the building ceased to be a private residence. Its situation and abundant natural light made it an ideal contender for an art gallery and from 1960 to 1986 it became the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, then subsequently the Garden’s own gallery with an extensive programme of contemporary art exhibitions. The House continues to welcome visitors for events and exhibitions with particular emphasis on marrying plant science with art, something in which we are recognised as world-leading.

30

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Reginald Cotterell Butler (1913–1981) Girl London, 1957–58 Bronze Base: 610 × 610 mm On loan from National Galleries of Scotland GMA 809

INVERLEITH HOUSE

­|

31

The Palm Houses

Probably the most iconic symbol of our Gardens, the Victorian Temperate Palm House in our Edinburgh Garden is a great Scottish landmark and continues to fulfil its original purpose of displaying an amazing palm collection. The adjacent and smaller Tropical Palm House is the older building, erected in 1834, and at just over 14 metres (47 feet) in height it was the tallest glasshouse in Europe until Joseph Paxton built his great conservatory at Chatsworth.

The Tropical Palm House contains a true Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh veteran, a sabal palm (Sabal bermudana) that was transported by horse and cart in 1822 from the Garden’s previous site off Edinburgh’s Leith Walk. It spent several years in a pot before being re-planted in 1894 in its current position. It is now almost touching the glass dome and I very much regret that it will have to be removed in my time as Regius Keeper to protect the building.

The Temperate Palm House was built to adjoin the Tropical Palm House and was completed in 1858. This glasshouse, at 22 metres (72 feet) high, remains the tallest in Britain. Tuscan in style and built from sandstone, its huge double-domed glass roof is supported on iron rafters and has three viewing galleries built into the domes, which are now accessed only by maintenance staff. The large palm specimens on display were chosen for their aesthetic qualities, the natural ‘architecture’ of the plants reflecting the structure of the building. The great height of the house gives us an opportunity to grow some mighty specimens that reach right up to the roof.

32

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Sabal bermudana and James McNab in the tropical palm house, c.1874.

THE PALM HOUSES

­|

33

The Palm Houses

Probably the most iconic symbol of our Gardens, the Victorian Temperate Palm House in our Edinburgh Garden is a great Scottish landmark and continues to fulfil its original purpose of displaying an amazing palm collection. The adjacent and smaller Tropical Palm House is the older building, erected in 1834, and at just over 14 metres (47 feet) in height it was the tallest glasshouse in Europe until Joseph Paxton built his great conservatory at Chatsworth.

The Tropical Palm House contains a true Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh veteran, a sabal palm (Sabal bermudana) that was transported by horse and cart in 1822 from the Garden’s previous site off Edinburgh’s Leith Walk. It spent several years in a pot before being re-planted in 1894 in its current position. It is now almost touching the glass dome and I very much regret that it will have to be removed in my time as Regius Keeper to protect the building.

The Temperate Palm House was built to adjoin the Tropical Palm House and was completed in 1858. This glasshouse, at 22 metres (72 feet) high, remains the tallest in Britain. Tuscan in style and built from sandstone, its huge double-domed glass roof is supported on iron rafters and has three viewing galleries built into the domes, which are now accessed only by maintenance staff. The large palm specimens on display were chosen for their aesthetic qualities, the natural ‘architecture’ of the plants reflecting the structure of the building. The great height of the house gives us an opportunity to grow some mighty specimens that reach right up to the roof.

32

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Sabal bermudana and James McNab in the tropical palm house, c.1874.

THE PALM HOUSES

­|

33

Robert Adam (1728–1792) designer James Craig (1739–1795) craftsman/architect

The Linnaeus Monument Edinburgh, 1778–79 Commemorative monument

Sculpted from Craigleith sandstone with inset marble plaque Base: 2.5 × 2.5 m

Honouring the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the renowned taxonomist who developed the system of binomial nomenclature, this monument was commissioned by former Regius Keeper John Hope the year after Linnaeus’ death. It was designed by the celebrated architect Robert Adam and crafted by James Craig. Hope had a huge regard for Linnaeus and was widely regarded, along with Professor Thomas Martyn at the University of Cambridge, as having established the teaching of Linnaeus’ binomial system in Britain, although this was not strictly the case.

While they never met, Hope and Linnaeus did correspond over several years.

The monument is also interesting as a testament to Hope’s ideas of garden design. It was placed in the Leith Walk Garden as a marker of both the beauty expected of a garden landscape and the underlying scientific agenda that Hope saw as inherent to it. Hope’s iteration of the botanic garden at Leith Walk was revolutionary in that it placed academic study at the forefront of the Garden’s purpose, and laid it out as a landscape rather than following the rectilinear models of other botanic gardens of that time.

Much of Linnaeus’ work, in particular his focus on the concept of species and the conventions of nomenclature, endure. Until relatively recently taxonomy relied upon observation of characteristics and forms, although today it is augmented with DNA sequencing which is rapidly speeding up the process of cataloguing life on earth. Addressing the problem of unprecedented biodiversity loss requires a thorough understanding of what we need to protect and manage. This taxonomic research is a major element of our research programme, contributing significantly to conservation decision-making and on-the-ground projects worldwide.

34

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Robert Adam Unexecuted design for the Linnaeus Monument, c.1778 Ink and ink wash over pencil

35

Robert Adam (1728–1792) designer James Craig (1739–1795) craftsman/architect

The Linnaeus Monument Edinburgh, 1778–79 Commemorative monument

Sculpted from Craigleith sandstone with inset marble plaque Base: 2.5 × 2.5 m

Honouring the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the renowned taxonomist who developed the system of binomial nomenclature, this monument was commissioned by former Regius Keeper John Hope the year after Linnaeus’ death. It was designed by the celebrated architect Robert Adam and crafted by James Craig. Hope had a huge regard for Linnaeus and was widely regarded, along with Professor Thomas Martyn at the University of Cambridge, as having established the teaching of Linnaeus’ binomial system in Britain, although this was not strictly the case.

While they never met, Hope and Linnaeus did correspond over several years.

The monument is also interesting as a testament to Hope’s ideas of garden design. It was placed in the Leith Walk Garden as a marker of both the beauty expected of a garden landscape and the underlying scientific agenda that Hope saw as inherent to it. Hope’s iteration of the botanic garden at Leith Walk was revolutionary in that it placed academic study at the forefront of the Garden’s purpose, and laid it out as a landscape rather than following the rectilinear models of other botanic gardens of that time.

Much of Linnaeus’ work, in particular his focus on the concept of species and the conventions of nomenclature, endure. Until relatively recently taxonomy relied upon observation of characteristics and forms, although today it is augmented with DNA sequencing which is rapidly speeding up the process of cataloguing life on earth. Addressing the problem of unprecedented biodiversity loss requires a thorough understanding of what we need to protect and manage. This taxonomic research is a major element of our research programme, contributing significantly to conservation decision-making and on-the-ground projects worldwide.

34

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Robert Adam Unexecuted design for the Linnaeus Monument, c.1778 Ink and ink wash over pencil

35

The Queen Mother’s Memorial Pavilion

This Pavilion building stands as the focal point of the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden in our Edinburgh Garden and encapsulates much about the lady it was built to commemorate. In common with the surrounding Garden, this little shelter goes some way to capture the spirit of a great life that inspired and brought comfort to many.

The Pavilion is made from local and natural products: sandstone from West Lothian, Caithness slate and solid English oak (Quercus robur). These materials are uniquely crafted, the stone carved into stags’ heads above the windows to evoke the Highlands where the Queen Mother spent much of her childhood, celebrating the landscapes, wildlife and resources which were dear to her. The interior is covered with seashells, collected from beaches around Scotland by schoolchildren who came to help place them on the walls. The interior of the roof is coated with pine cones from the four Gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, forming a central saltire, while light comes through a little stained-glass window depicting a Scottish Glen near the Castle of Mey. The building has an intimate atmosphere. It is a calm and reflective space where one can look out across the commemorative Garden, with its central maze of ‘E’s and beautiful plantings from many of the areas to which the Queen Mother travelled. The names of the charities supported by Her Majesty are carved into the stone surrounding the path and the century of her life is celebrated in carved stones at the main junctions in the path, which list key events from each of her ten decades.

36

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

HRH Prince Charles with the then-Regius Keeper Stephen Blackmore and other guests, at the Garden’s official opening in 2006.

THE QUEEN MOTHER’S MEMORIAL PAVILION

­|

37

The Queen Mother’s Memorial Pavilion

This Pavilion building stands as the focal point of the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden in our Edinburgh Garden and encapsulates much about the lady it was built to commemorate. In common with the surrounding Garden, this little shelter goes some way to capture the spirit of a great life that inspired and brought comfort to many.

The Pavilion is made from local and natural products: sandstone from West Lothian, Caithness slate and solid English oak (Quercus robur). These materials are uniquely crafted, the stone carved into stags’ heads above the windows to evoke the Highlands where the Queen Mother spent much of her childhood, celebrating the landscapes, wildlife and resources which were dear to her. The interior is covered with seashells, collected from beaches around Scotland by schoolchildren who came to help place them on the walls. The interior of the roof is coated with pine cones from the four Gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, forming a central saltire, while light comes through a little stained-glass window depicting a Scottish Glen near the Castle of Mey. The building has an intimate atmosphere. It is a calm and reflective space where one can look out across the commemorative Garden, with its central maze of ‘E’s and beautiful plantings from many of the areas to which the Queen Mother travelled. The names of the charities supported by Her Majesty are carved into the stone surrounding the path and the century of her life is celebrated in carved stones at the main junctions in the path, which list key events from each of her ten decades.

36

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

HRH Prince Charles with the then-Regius Keeper Stephen Blackmore and other guests, at the Garden’s official opening in 2006.

THE QUEEN MOTHER’S MEMORIAL PAVILION

­|

37

opposite top: The Garden from above showing the labyrinth of bog myrtle hedges shaped as the letter ‘E’. opposite left: Pine cones from RBGE’s four Gardens form a saltire on the ceiling. opposite right and right: The interior walls are decorated with sea shells from around Scotland.

38

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

THE QUEEN MOTHER’S MEMORIAL PAVILION

­|

39

opposite top: The Garden from above showing the labyrinth of bog myrtle hedges shaped as the letter ‘E’. opposite left: Pine cones from RBGE’s four Gardens form a saltire on the ceiling. opposite right and right: The interior walls are decorated with sea shells from around Scotland.

38

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

THE QUEEN MOTHER’S MEMORIAL PAVILION

­|

39

This edition © Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd, 2018 Text and photography © Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2018 First published in 2018 by Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd 10 Lion Yard, Tremadoc Road London SW4 7NQ UK www.scalapublishers.com In association with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 20A Inverleith Row Edinburgh EH3 5LR UK www.rbge.org.uk ISBN: 978-1-78551-166-0 Edited by Laura Fox Designed by Nigel Soper

Image credits: Derek Black, Frieda Christie, Peter Clarke, Sidney Clarke, Amy Copeman, Christopher Ellis, Amy Fokinther, Steve Scott, Robert Unwin, Brenda White, Peter Wilkie, Alex Wilson, Lynsey Wilson.

Acknowledgements I am most grateful to those colleagues who helped me with this book, in particular: Hannah Atkins, Richard Baines, Frieda Christie, Alan Elliot, Martin Gardner, Graham Hardy, Elspeth Haston, David Knott, Heather McHaffie, Mark Newman, Leonie Paterson, Lesley Scott and Graham Stewart. With thanks to Henry Noltie for reviewing the text.

Printed in Turkey 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd. Every effort has been made to acknowledge correct copyright of images where applicable. Any errors or omissions are unintentional and should be notified to the Publisher, who will arrange for corrections to appear in any reprints.

80

|

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH

Front cover: Meconopsis (See pp. 8–9) Front inside flap: The Temperate Palm House, Edinburgh Garden (See pp. 32–33) Frontispiece: The Botanic Cottage, Edinburgh Garden (See pp. 28–29) Back cover: The Queen Mother’s Memorial Pavilion (See pp. 36–37)