[Photos] UK 15 - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - Greenhouses Part 1

[moonvoice]

I am honestly so, so glad I ended up paying the fee to access the full greenhouses. There's an initial greenhouse which is free to access, and I kept seeing pictures of that on the Hidden Scotland instagram (which was what inspired me to go in the first place). It was misleading, but in a really great way, because it didn't indicate how vast and epic the greenhouses were.

Now, something to get out of the way, I know the names of almost none of these plants, and the photos are all out of order. But I love them all the same, and I'm sharing them. There were about, I think, 12 greenhouses in total. One focused on desert landscapes, one had a koi pond, one focused on prehistoric plants and had dinosaur prints in the walkway, one had a bridge and birdsong, etc. They were all - all - exquisite.

We had to cancel about...12 things we really wanted to do after doing too much in Edinburgh ruined my health, and in retrospect, I still think it was worth it to come here.






A lot of people walked through the greenhouse/s pretty quickly while I was there, like checking them off a mental list. I was off on my own, and luxuriated in them (and got very sweaty, lmao). I hear that Silvia did the same (I had split off from the group). Consequently, turning a leaf revealed this.







As Silvia said later: If you looked down, there was something, if you looked up, there was something, if you looked behind a large plant, there was something. There was always, always something.





There was one greenhouse that had a section just dedicated to carnivorous plants. These were behind additional glass.



This was part of the initial, free greenhouse that is available to all. Also, the greenhouses were pretty wheelchair user accessible, including buttons to press to open all the doors automatically.





It was interesting seeing a preserved desert landscape that had literally zero to do with Australian desert biomes.



A lovely Echeveria





Tucked up out of the way.





So! This colouring looks artificial, but it's not! And I actually do know what this is, Strongylodon macrobotys also known as the Jade, Emerald or Turquoise Jade Vine. It's a liana, the flowers are displayed in huge natural trusses and they feel velvety soft (we had to move them aside sometimes) and they smell incredible. You'll see more photos as we go. I loved these, I have never seen a colour in a flower like this in nature ever before.







This was part of the prehistoric walk because you can see faint hints of the dinosaur footprints in the concrete/limestone (whatever substrate they used lol)






Next, more of the same! Did I say I was captivated? I took more photos of the greenhouses than I did of any other place, I'm so sorry, lmao.

Comments

[redsixwing]

Don't apologize at all, these are amazing.

That last plant looks remarkably like the potted plant sitting beside my monitor. o.O

I'm so glad you got to go to this, even if overextension is a beast.

That desert greenhouse looks like someone munged the biomes of three or four Southwestern states together with maybe some parts of Africa. *L* I'm sure to someone who knows more about plants, the rest look like that too!

Beautiful, in any case.

[moonvoice]

That last plant looks remarkably like the potted plant sitting beside my monitor. o.O


It probably is! :D

That desert greenhouse looks like someone munged the biomes of three or four Southwestern states together with maybe some parts of Africa

This made me laugh, and tbh, sounds spot on. :D

[sundog]

Eee I love all of these! So much color and vibrancy.

[moonvoice]

So many flowers showing off :D

[citrakayah]

These are gorgeous photos. Good to see they have some appreciation of the Sonora Desert there.

[moonvoice]

I imagine it must be really exciting for the botanists / landscapers coming up with what speciments they want, alongside what gets donated or gifted to them. :D

[schneefink]

Very pretty!

[moonvoice]

Thank you! :D

[silverjackal]

I love greenhouses as well. When I was a child I wished it was possible to live in one -- alas, not a practical proposition unless one is wealthy enough to own one. This is doubly amusing given I do not enjoy tropical rainforests, finding them entirely too hot and humid. I was entranced with the Amazon while I was there, but also happy to leave it, and that was in fall.

[moonvoice]

I hear you on finding the biomes too hot and humid. Even Singapore when we went, though described as 'much milder than usual' still felt hot and suffocating. I hear the northern most tip of Western Australia can be like that too (it is tropical/subtropics) and it's been the most offputting force re: visiting Broome so far. But...maybe knowing I can leave it, would help.

Also it's amazing that you've been to the Amazon!!!

[silverjackal]

The time in the Amazon was while I was in Peru. It was incredible waking at four in the morning to the sound of howler monkeys calling in the distance. That's also the trip where I shocked our guide by tracking a peccary entirely by scent. I still can't credit that the others couldn't smell it because it was pungent and very, very clear. :D

[hrafn]

OMG, PLANTS!!!! I think I'd pretty much lose my entire mind going into any place like that, and it would be worth it. :D

[moonvoice]

SO MUCH PLANTS! I loved them so much, omg you would love it