After touring the castle this morning, we made our way down to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Established in 1670, it covers more than 70 acres, which represents one of the world’s largest living collections of plants. And true to the Scottish weather, the rain began as we made our way back to the hotel!
I’m sure it takes hundreds of years to grow a hedge like that!
Such pretty colors, although we did miss most of the spring blooms, tons of rhododendron and azaleas that must have been spectacular not so long ago.
The Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden was established here in 2006, with each of the four corners represented with plants from – Asia, Europe, North America, and the Southern Hemisphere.
A stone pavilion was built with a very interesting interior. The shells and pebbles were collected all over Scotland by school children and adorn the walls…..
…..while the ceiling is made up of native and exotic pine cones collected from the Royal Botanical Gardens and it’s three regional gardens.
Tomorrow we bid farewell to Edinburgh, heading south in search of Puffins!
be sure to click on the images to see them bigger!!