I saw this wonderful chard in the vegetable garden on a Sunday. I went back on Monday with my camera. Luckily it had not been harvested!
The Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh (‘the Botanics’) carries out very important scientific work. Of course, it also provides a wonderful place to walk and relax in all seasons and in all weathers. The Botanics operates across four sites – one in Edinburgh and three elsewhere in Scotland. See https://www.rbge.org.uk/ for more details.
The different areas within the Gardens
As you walk up through the Chinese garden, you see the plants that grow at different altitudes in China. The rockery areas display the wonderful variety of plants that cling to some of the most unlikely places. The pond provdes a home for many types of water fowl, an elusive kingfisher and sometimes a heron (watching and waiting). The large glasshouses usually house a wide variety of tropical and sub tropical plants although they are (2025) being renovated. In the early summer, the Rhododendrons and Azaleas provide spectacular blooms in a wide range of colours.
Events, shopping, learning and refreshments
The indoor exhibition areas provide an ever changing mix of displays about interesting aspects of horticulture. You can take courses on a wide range of subjects in the education centre. For example in October 2025, the centre ran a course on photographing trees. Volunteers offer regular guided walks.
The Gardens run a series of seasonal events including: easter egg trails, halloween trails and ‘Christmas at the Botanics’ – a wonderful display of after dark light and colour.
The shop tempts you with seeds, bulbs, plants, books, mugs, calendars, etc – and stocks a multitude of garden tools!
The cafes provide everything from light snacks to full meals. Wherever possible, the kitchens use fresh produce from the gardens.
A wonderful place for photographers
And of course, you will always see photographers trying to capture memories of their visit, cute photographs of the squirrells, a fleeting view of the kingfisher, the outline of a strange tree, or an insect busily feeding off the nectar.
