A popular location for visitors from all areas, the beautiful gardens at Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan have over 13,000 different species of living plants. Behind the scenes there are also more than 3 million preserved specimens, held in the Herbarium at Edinburgh.
The Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh were founded in 1670 as a Physic Garden, which contained many plants of medicinal value. Its satellite gardens were added in the 20th century: the mountainous garden at Benmore in 1929, Logan in 1969 and wooded Dawyck in 1978.
The Herbarium was developed in the 19th century, as plant scientists became aware of the need to preserve plant specimens for the future. The herbaria of the University of Edinburgh and the Botanical Society of Edinburgh were combined in 1839, and added to by several individual contributors over the years to make the collection, which moved into its current home in 1964.
To explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future.
The RGBE mission
The RGBE Science Strategy aims to build public understanding of current biodiversity issues, and to perform world-class research in plant science and conservation.
Several taught courses are run by the RGBE, which has a strong focus on education. The Edinburgh site boasts one of the country’s largest libraries, which comprises specialist horticultural and botanical resources. The library holds 70,000 books and 150,000 periodicals, as well as illustrations, archives and nursery catalogues.
The gardens also host a variety of public engagement events to further their mission, including a Science Festival, Photography Competition and garden tours.