SO WING SEEDS AT CELEBRATION
AWIDE range of events is planned to mark the 200th anniversary of the Botanic Gardens in the West End.
The highlight will be on May 20, the date exactly 200 years ago when the visitor attraction was founded.
And a series of improvement work is planned or under way to ensure the gardens continue to look their best for the next two centuries.
The last major work in the park was in 2004 when a £7million restoration project was carried out to repair corrosion of the Kibble Palace ironwork.
Plants had to be removed for the first time in the history of the glasshouse while work was under way but everything was safely back in place by the time it re-opened in November 2006.
The latest work at the gardens involves refurbishing the main gates, perimeter fences and walls, cleaning the gate pillars and repainting and repairing the sandstone wall along Great Western Road.
Footpaths will be resurfaced and the stairs to the arboretum are in the process of being replaced.
And work is under way on an outdoor classroom designed by Glasgow City Council’s landscape team and funded by the Friends of the Botanic Gardens.
Friends chairman Brian Aitkinson said: “We have almost completed the new outdoor classroom which cost £27,000 which the Friends predominately funded.
“The garden’s education officer has about 5000 pupils and students attending the gardens each year as part of environmental education studies. The new outdoor classroom will be a place where they can go to with their teacher or the education officer.
“A seating area is being built which will also be a small events space and a quiet space where people can go to at any time of year.
“There is also a new tree trail which the Friends have been developing which follows the most important trees in the garden.
“As well as information at each tree, they have symbols you can read with your smartphone. That takes you to the Friends website which explains about the trees and about the explorers who brought them to the UK about 150 years ago.
“There are a lot of historically important aspects to the gardens but it is not just about the past 200 years but also about the future and what the gardens can provide in terms of environmental education.”
By growing plants which are on the verge of extinction, or may contain medicines, the gardens remain as vital as ever.
That is good news for the estimated 400,000 people who visited the West End attraction last year.
Euan Donaldson, general manager of the Botanics, said: