Royal garden gets physical
Anew physic garden is to be created at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Inspiration for the garden came from the original 17th century example that was once a feature within the Palace grounds, used to teach students about the medicinal properties of plants and to provide pharmacists with fresh materials.
The first garden of its kind in Scotland and the second botanic garden to be established in Britain, the original gardeng contained around 90 medicinal plant species. Created by two founder members of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Sir Robert Sibbald and Dr Andrew Balfour in 1670, the garden was moved to new locations as space ran out, finally locating in Inverleith in 1820, the site where the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) now stands. The venture is part of a £10 million investment by the Royal Collection Trust (RCT) to transform the public’s experience of visiting Edinburgh’s Royal Palace. The new garden will have raised flower beds laid out in a geometric pattern, reflecting the design of early botanic gardens. Planting will include native and exotic medicinal plants grown in the 17th century. A flowering meadow evoking a 15th century monastic garden at Holyrood Abbey, the Palace’s first recorded garden, will also form part of the scheme. “The return of scientific gardening to the place of its birth in Scotland will provide a new focus of interest for visitors, the local community and especially, we hope, for young people,” said RCT director Jonathan Marsden. ● Visit www. royalcollection. org.uk.