Fishink in Edinburgh Part 2

Hi everyone, I’m back here with part 2 of my recent trip to Edinburgh and begin with a morning spent enjoying the Botanics.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was established in 1670 and during the 20th century acquired three other Regional Gardens – the mountainous Benmore in Argyll; Dawyck in the wooded hills of the Scottish Borders and Logan on the Gulf Stream-warmed southern peninsula of Dumfries & Galloway. Together they represent one of the world’s largest living collections of plants.

I would highly recommend a visit here, if you have an interest in plants or just like large spacious garden areas and it’s free to enter and wander in most areas.

Plants always fascinate me. I’m completely enthralled by their variety, complexity, shape and colour. I’m never disappointed by what I find inside the green houses.

The shapes often inspire designs, here’s a couple of quick ones I made using the images above.

Inside one of the glasshouses there was a glass exhibition based on the subject of cell structures.

How fab to gaze through the jumbled layers of leaves and see shadows and shapes, all over the place.

Great contrasts in tone and shape don’t you think.

Berries, fronds, flowers and frenzy.

There is even a small Aquarium, with a rather lonely looking Red Mexican Tarantula.  Small aquariums always remind me of being a child , when I used to visit the one in Liverpool Museum. I thought it rather curious that all those creatures lived in a room at the museum, also it was probably the first time I had ever seen live seahorse, one of my favourite tanks to visit.

The Botanic Cottage originally stood at the entrance to a long lost incarnation of the Botanics, across the city on Leith Walk. It was built in 1764-5, and designed by the renowned architects John Adam and James Craig. Not only was it the home of the principal gardener, it was also the main entrance to the Garden, and contained a classroom where every medical student was taught botany during the height of the Scottish Enlightenment. After the Garden moved to Inverleith in the early 1820’s, the cottage became a private home, then later offices and a van rental shop. Over the years the street level was raised in front of it, the lime render on its exterior was lost, and by the mid-2000s it had been abandoned and set on fire. Fortunately, a community campaign, working with the Botanics, saved the cottage. It was moved stone by stone across Edinburgh, and rebuilt in our Demonstration Garden, where schools, students and community groups have plots. It was rebuilt with all of the stones and timbers going back in the correct places, and finished so that it looks as good as it did 250 years ago.

I was very impressed as it’s a beautiful building…. both outside and in.

The gardens around it are filled with all manner of flowers and vegetables. As wonderful to photograph as they are to walk around.

Again being lucky with the sunny weather in October was a huge help.

I was surprised just how much late colour was still around.

This poppy flower really caught my designers eye.

I think it makes a lovely repeat pattern !

Inside the Botanic Cottage was an exhibition of some of the many varieties of apple with a Scottish association. Colour, shape, smell and tastes all to compare.

Here’s a small sample of the work currently in the exhibiton at Inverleith House, (apologies, I didn’t capture the artists details).

I did think these were quite fun.

A quick mention that the Mark Hearld solo exhibition was on last month over at the Scottish Gallery. Sadly not whilst I was there.

Some great illustrations as usual.

I hope you enjoyed visiting Edinburgh with me : ) Where have you been inspired by lately ?

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