Sowing the seeds for continued growth as Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens announces refurbishment

THE Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is close to the hearts of untold numbers of city residents who have grown up enjoying the safe and tranquil haven of the place they know as the Botanics. It also plays a unique part in Scottish life. It is not only one of the country’s top visitor attractions, but also a world-renowned centre of excellence for scientific research and plant conservation.

When the Botanics was founded in 1670, its purpose was as a medicinal garden. James Sutherland, the first regius keeper, gathered plants from around the world for the purposes of research and education. Since then, we have developed it as a well-respected institution. Today, I have the honour of holding the post of regius keeper at a time when the role of botanic gardens in international conservation has never been more crucial; when the Botanics is recognised as leading the crusade to 
conserve the fragile habitats on which we all depend.

However, we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. We are racing against time to identify and protect the plants around the world, including Scotland. Countless members of the public share our passion and we owe it to them not just to work towards finding scientific solutions but to engage with everyone, whatever their age or ability. Only then can we start to say we have genuinely done our best.