Edinburgh's magnificent Royal Botanic Gardens began life in 1670 as a physic garden to grow herbs and plants for medicinal purposes at St. Annes Yard near Holyrood Palace. The collection was moved away from the pollution of the old town in 1763 to a site near Leith then in 1820 it was moved again to it's current location at Inverleith.

Today Edinburgh is one of four locations that the gardens occupy across Scotland, each having it's own specialist collection. The other sites include; Dawyck, Logan and Benmore. Edinburgh however is the main garden and is Scotland's national botanic garden and the collection is of unique botanical importance. Covering 72 acres early 34,000 plants are grown here representing over 17,000 different species plants from all over the world.

As well as an important scientific centre The gardens are a popular visitor attraction. "The botanics" as the gardens are known is made up of Rock Gardens, Woodland Gardens, A Scottish Heath Garden, Peat Walls, Chinese Hillside, The Queen Mother's Menmorial Garden, A Glass House and Palm House containing tropical plants and a desert area with a large cacti collection.