A green thought in a green shade at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Solus recently provided tiles for a renewal project that includes the shop, restaurant, cafés, and events hall. The Smitten tile from the Charmed range was used which has a complexity and depth of colour as well as a glossy sheen suggestive of the epidermis of a tropical plant. Faye Marshall from 442 Design talked me through the work.  

“The Terrace Café was completely refurbished to enhance the customer experience and connection to the surroundings. The concept was to bring the lush, warm greens of the foliage in the gardens into the visitor spaces to create one continuous journey. The natural depth and reflection of the Solus Smitten tile was perfect for our project. We liked the tile so much that we kept finding ways to use it further, on backsplashes and counters. We even clad central columns to create features through the new servery counter. An organic grout was used (Kerakoll Fugabella) to achieve a green colour as well as being sustainable.  

“The flow of visitors around the service island is much more organic now. We were able to reuse wood planks from the previous counter, sand, restain and fit to the walls to create a new feature cladding. Reusing materials is a priority for us and a great way to sequester carbon.  

“Some botanical drawings were taken from the RBGE archive, framed, and mounted on the walls to create a further connection to the gardens and its history. You can now enjoy a luxury afternoon tea here, delicious bakes and coffee with a view of the extraordinary gardens.”  

The renewed Terrace Café is a pleasant place to be. Rhododendrons are not only on the walls as botanical drawings but also surround the café as part of the ‘living collection’. Rhododendrons are a key area of research for the RBGE; the collection started in the early 20th century and currently half of the 1024 species in the genus are present.  

Biodiversity research is supported by the Herbarium, holding over 3 million specimens from all over the world that have been collected or donated over three and a half centuries. Many have been pressed into paper or pickled in jars by generations of scientists. Developments in genome sequencing technology means that this vast, historical database can now be read in new and exciting ways. As if each sample were a time capsule waiting for the right key to open it up.  

RBGE is not only looking to the past, there are also big plans for the future. Expecting to complete in 2028, the Edinburgh ‘Biomes’ project is a massive restoration and development project that will rehabilitate the iconic 200-year-old heritage palm houses, the 1960s A-listed ‘front range’ Glasshouses, and the research Glasshouses where scientists work. A new 21st century Glasshouse is being developed, as well as a plant health hub to study plant diseases, and a new energy centre to help reduce carbon output.

Most of the specimens in the Glasshouses are of conservation worth and some are even extinct in the wild. There is no spare Glasshouse and at times the project becomes a high-stakes game of Tetris, moving 40,000 plants to make way for construction then moving them back with the utmost care. Architects, contractors, and horticulturalists are in constant consultation finding innovative ways to the challenges to the collection that are posed by the project.  

But, as Suzie Huggins points out, “This project is a duty. We have a responsibility to protect and conserve our collection for the nation and the world.” Funding for the project comes from the Scottish government and the National Lottery but also from the public. “A lot of support comes from the mums, dads, and grannies that pass through the door and make donations. We’re a well-kent face in Edinburgh. People love what we do and want to support us and since the lockdowns, people have a heightened appreciation for the healing power of the green spaces.”