Edinburgh botanic garden reopens palm houses after five-year storm-proofing restoration

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is reopening its restored palm houses on Friday, marking the end of a five-year renovation at Britain's second-oldest botanic garden. The project cost £23.5m.

The garden's historic glass structures, part-Georgian and part-Victorian, have long suffered damage from Scottish winter storms. Glasshouse curator Sadie Barber explains that strong winds can send hundreds of glass panels crashing down, injuring or even killing plants inside. Staff are barred from entering when winds exceed 30mph — a restriction that kept them out for 20 days last year and 15 days so far in 2026.

The restoration installed 5,750 panels of toughened glass able to withstand a bird strike, though not fully indestructible. Before renovation began, horticultural staff had already rigged netting to catch falling glass from the aging structure.

The rebuilt building retains almost all of its original sandstone and wrought-iron shell, and now houses more than 600 returned temperate plant species. Temperature and humidity are still managed through the original pulley-and-winch system. Prof Julia Knights, the garden's regius keeper and chief executive, describes the space as 'cathedral-like' and highlights a Tasmanian tree fern bearing a Scottish liverwort on its stem.

Founded in 1670 to teach physicians about medicinal plants, RBGE has grown into a globally significant repository of plant biodiversity, preserving species extinct in the wild. Its scientists have also helped develop DNA barcoding technology for identifying plant species. Despite the palm houses' restoration, many of the garden's other glasshouses remain well past their intended lifespan and are awaiting upgrades.