Edinburgh botanic garden to open its doors to community

The initiative, funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery, has given a plot to communities from across the city to learn horticultural skills and gather advice from horticultural experts.

Head of the project Ian Edwards said the initiative is designed to let people make some of the decisions within the community and also to see what ideas they may have.

“There hasn’t been a culture of gardening with and for the people here: it’s a very fundamental change to our whole way of looking at things,” he added.

Founded in the 17th century, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh extends over four different patches and is a world-renowned centre for plant science and education