ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
With the arrival of spring in 2026 I was keen to go back to Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden as I hadn't visited the place for years. So three hours later... I was walking in them. Alan didn't fancy six hours free bus travel ( with Saltire Card, over 60s) so I went by myself, just taking a good book with me. (I'm alternating between Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels, Linwood Barclay novels, and Lee Child novels at the moment which keeps me entertained. Bestselling paperbacks from 50 pence to £1:50 each from local charity shops. Everyone else glued to their phones on bus journeys nowadays so not much chance of random conversations occurring on buses, with fellow passengers, which did sometimes happen in the past. Either that or I'm just older... and elderly folk might as well be invisible sometimes. Good spies presumably. Another thing that happened is that I viewed my blog ( this blog) on someone else's smart phone and was shocked. It does not do justice to my photographs at all. They really need a bigger screen than a smart phone to be effective.... or interesting.
Once in Edinburgh it was a quick visit to Edinburgh's bus station (toilets both here and in Buchannan Bus Station as well as on city to city bus routes) then another bus, the third bus of this trip so far, down Broughton Street, seen here, to Botanic Gardens. No 8 Muirhouse which drops you outside the East Gate. Get it on Broughton Street a few minutes walk down from the Edinburgh bus station.
A more conventional street ending. The new town is very grey throughout, a prestigious address, but that is one thing that is more attractive in Glasgow, (I think anyway,) is it's wonderful red sandstone buildings and its often ornate city centre streets, full of many different types of architecture, often quirky, period elaborate, or modern glass and steel... like a pick and mix sweet selection thrown together in a bag. Edinburgh's new town is just grey. All of it. Even on a sunny day. No access to west coast geology and different rock types here.
A street in Glasgow's Hillhead. And these are not elaborate buildings unlike the carved masterpieces in Glasgow's City Centre around Charing Cross or Bothwell Street.
Anyway, Botanic Gardens. Spring is when the trees are at their most colourful with fresh new leaves appearing and flowering shrubs like Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and gorse/broom in full bloom. Mid/Late April and May, early June period.
And I arrived at just the right time to see them out. Rhododendron display.
I'm always disappointed slightly if public gardens do not have a pond or water feature but Edinburgh has several, including this attractive artificial stream gurgling down from a high point with small waterfalls and deeper pools created on the way.
Like Brigadoon in reality. Worth an almost six hour round trip to see it.
An exotic large bloom.
East gate entrance. Inverleith Park, right beside Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, is slightly larger but far more open in aspect so the dozens of twisting paths and plantings here make the Botanics appear much larger than they really are. Two to three hours to see everything fully.
This time I visited areas I hadn't seen before on other trips, like this modern hedge.
Looks old but both the hedge and this cottage are relatively new features.
Botanic cottage info above.
Yew hedge info. Doesn't look like a Yew Hedge unless the section I viewed up close was a different tree type. Beech trees I'd guess on my close inspection section of this hedge with yew being a small part of it... at a guess.
The Cottage.
White and yellow. similar look to 'egg on a plate' domestic garden varieties.
White Light. White Heat.
One plant that really captured my attention was this one. Senecio Cymosus. I think. According to a label on it. Native to Chile.... but bigger and more flamboyant on this specimen. Only a few of these in the royal botanic garden but almost luminous visions each time. Brighter and more vibrant than gorse or broom so easily seen from a long distance away. A dazzling yellow splash on a sunny day. Flower heads look similar to ragwort flowers, also a spring/ early summer flower here. Maybe a distant shrub cousin perhaps?
Another one.
In the rock garden.
A rainbow of colour.
Pink beauty.
Mixed Rhododendrons.
Late April flourish.
Jungle trails. Rhododendrons are native to the Himalayan valleys and foothills but do really well in the UK.... and Scotland in particular.
Prayer flags and bell. Nepal garden area.
A sculpture detail. Nepal Garden.
Full sculpture.
Giant Rhubarb info.
Giant Rhubarb in spring regrowth.
Damp loving plants. Pond edge.
A type of Lords and Ladies I presume.
A row of star people around their crashed ship. (That's what I see anyway.)
A happy gardener. Happy Easter written on it.
A bluebell shady corner located to the west of the cottage. The famous Edinburgh Glass Houses have been closed for a few years for a makeover. They will reopen at some point. The Royal Botanic Garden is still free at present but car parking in the surrounding streets is now up to £4:50 an hour... max of 4 hours only. I used to park here for free no problem but that is no longer an option in most of Edinburgh. Plus £30 in fuel to get here and back by car in 2026. Edinburgh does feel like a richer city than Glasgow in many ways.... or that's the visual impression I get anyway after 30 plus day visits. More money to spend on services. With enviable tourist numbers, year round events, huge university, and parking charges ( Edinburgh council owns the parking meters apparently but gets someone else to look after them.) I'm not surprised. But even here the traditional main High Street shops are still competing/struggling against online sales by the look of it. Even on Princes Street, which I was surprised at given the tourist numbers there year round.
Harp pagoda and path.
Main pond. Royal Botanic Garden.
Mixed planting.
Purple flag Iris.
Small waterfalls.
Slate cone sculpture.
Which was beside this house. It had a magical glimmer about it that pulled me towards it. And magical words adorned it. Inverleith House. Free Exhibition. I'm not generally mean but with everything else going up in price and not being full of extra cash every little saving helps if you can get it. I did donate a few quid afterwards in a plastic box as it was a worthwhile exhibition. So good in fact I will save the interior for another post.
Winding paths.
The West Gate entrance on Arboretum Place. (the streets where I used to park all day for free. Happy times.)
