Gardens
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Book review: Richard Fortey’s Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind
Richard Fortey shares two of my particular passions, geology and fungi, however he does so at a level I can only dream about. He also manages to write about these often bewildering subjects in a way that both delights, informs and entertains. This whirlwind tour of fungi is no exception and his knowledge and passion…
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Pinguicula brendae: a new carnivorous plant species from Mexico
Ernesto and Agustina in Mexico, and I described a newbutterwort species, Pinguicula brendae (Lentibulariaceae),from the State of Hidalgo, Mexico. It was officially published on the 8 of February 2026 in the Nordic Journal of Botany. About 100 butterwort species are found on all continentsexcept Australia and Antarctica, and two of them aredistributed in the UK.…
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CPH Spring 2026 – Cancellation
A note to students who were admitted onto the Certificate of Practical Horticulture course scheduled for March-June 2026: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Trustees of Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens have reluctantly taken the decision to cancel the forthcoming CPH course commencing on Saturday 21st March. The Trustees of FGBG would like to offer their…
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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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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.
