Gardens

  • Chair’s report

    Trustees of Friends meet each month in the Botanics Offices usually for about an hour and a half when we discuss a packed agenda. In February we finalised plans for two members meetings in March. Emails have already been sent out to members and there are as I write a small number of places left.…

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  • Chair’s report

    The festive season is receding in our memories as we hopefully notice an increase in the length of day and also the improved brightness, at least on some days. The welcome sight of faithful snowdrops, aconites and hellebores is uplifting. The witch hazel to the right of the path leading to the Botanics Tearooms has…

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  • February in bloom

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  • Blechnum brasiliense

    This small tree fern is from South America. It is well worth looking at in the In the Kibble Palace just now. Turn left at the main dome, then right and you will find several beautiful examples. At present its fronds are uncurling showing off their beautiful red colour. Eventually as the fronds mature, they…

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  • A very rare conifer: the Vietnamese Golden Cypress

    The Vietnamese Golden Cypress or Xanthocyparis vietnamensis can be found at What3Words riots.hoping.petal and looks rather un-preposessing. However, a glance at the accession label reveals that is is anything but. This is a rare and endangered conifer which was has been known to science only since 1999. The discovery of a living conifer that is so…

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  • Orchid Fair 2026

    Glasgow Botanic Gardens 27th Orchid Fair 9th-10th May 2026 @ The Kibble Palace Scotland’s only annual orchid show and fair returns for it’s 27th year to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May, promising a botanical feast for the senses and a unique opportunity to buy unusual orchids and other tropical…

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  • 2025 Curator update

    Glasgow Botanic Gardens Curator Dr Hiro Shimao gives an update on the collection from 2025 including sugar palms, trees, memorial trees and orchids. This year (from January 2025), we have received more than 1000 species (including cultivars and hybrids) of seeds and plants from many botanical gardens and individuals.

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  • Chair’s report

    Andrew Sinclair, manager of the Gardens, and the Friends were contacted some months ago by Professor Willsdon from School of Culture & Creative Arts at Glasgow University about the possibility of remembering a colleague Dr John Richards who had sadly passed away. John knew the Gardens well and lived close to the Arboretum which was…

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  • January in the Botanics

    Some January sightings from our Tour Guides.

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  • Storm damage to Nothofagus dombeyi

    After the recent storm this fine southern hemisphere beech tree Nothofagus dombeyi lost several of its limbs. GCC arbor services attended promptly and it is hoped that the tree will be viable for the future. This evergreen beech is endemic to southern Chile and Patagonia where it is widespread favouring damp soil and thriving along…

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