Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden & Labyrinth Walk
A contemplative walled sanctuary designed with four distinct quarters of Scotland, a maze of hornbeam hedges, and an artisanal stone pavilion covered in hand-set Scottish river pebbles.
"Enter the central stone pavilion and examine the walls: every stone, seashell, and pinecone was collected from Scottish estates, while the surrounding hornbeam labyrinth offers quiet solitude away from the main lawn crowds."
The Story of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Spanning seventy verdant acres in the residential district of Inverleith, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of the world's premier botanical research institutions and Scotland's second-oldest botanical garden. Founded in 1670 at Holyrood by Scottish physicians Sir Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour as a physic garden to cultivate medicinal herbs, the institution moved to its current spacious site in the 1820s.
The garden is home to more than 13,500 plant species from across the globe, comprising roughly 4% of all known plant life on Earth. Its world-renowned living collections include one of the finest outdoor rock gardens in Europe, a towering grove of century-old Giant Redwoods from the Pacific Northwest, and an extensive Chinese Hillside celebrating Scotland's historical plant-hunting expeditions across the Himalayas.
Behind its botanical beauty lies an urgent scientific mission. Scientists and taxonomists at the garden conduct fieldwork across more than forty countries, documenting endangered flora and safeguarding rare plant DNA. The historic Victorian Glasshouses, featuring the monumental 1858 Palm House (currently undergoing the landmark Edinburgh Biomes preservation project), house tropical species, towering orchids, and giant Amazonian water lilies.
Among the garden's peaceful secluded corners is the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden, opened in 2006. Enclosed by tall hornbeam hedges arranged into four distinct geographical quarters representing Scotland, this contemplative space features a central stone pavilion with intricate pebble mosaics and carved stone panels celebrating Scottish natural poetry.
Architectural & Heritage Specifications
Accessibility & Practical Notes
Fully accessible with paved, level pathways throughout the grounds and courtesy wheelchairs available
