Edinburgh's Botanic Garden announces opening date for historic Palm Houses after five-year restoration

The Palm Houses are set to reopen on Friday, October 2, half a decade after restoration works started on the almost 200-year-old buildings, which date back to 1834.

More than five thousand panes of glass have been created from bespoke templates that have been specially designed to withstand the impacts of climate change, with 600 m² of repairs carried out to the original Georgian and Victorian iron structure to restore the iconic Palm Houses to their former glory.

Before restoration work could begin, the horticulture team carefully removed 800 precious plant specimens from the Palm Houses.

The majority were temporarily rehomed within the garden's other glasshouses, while replanting of the empty Palm Houses began earlier this year.

Around 600 specimens – including plants endangered in the wild - will ultimately be returned.

Among them is a stone gate palm (Trachycarpus princeps), standing over eight metres tall and believed to be the tallest of its kind in cultivation outside China. Plantings also include a young sabal palm, the 10-year-old offspring of the sabal mexicana - one of the Garden’s oldest and most celebrated plants estimated to be around 200 years old when it was felled in 2021.

The Palm Houses restoration work marks the completion of the latest phase of the Edinburgh Biomes project – which is said to be “the most ambitious restoration and development programme in the garden’s history”.

It forms part of a £58million investment in the programme – supported by the Scottish Government. More than £10.6m has been raised via philanthropic fundraising and a public appeal which also contributed £250,000 towards the project.

Professor Julia Knights, Regius Keeper at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “I am thrilled to be reopening the world’s tallest traditional Palm House after five years of painstaking restoration with the support of the Scottish Government and our generous donors.

“As we fight to tackle climate change and nature loss, the reopening of the Palm Houses is a globally significant moment for Scotland and the world. As well as celebrating our Living Collection of plants – including those endangered in the wild – this moment also reflects our work as Scotland’s global scientific centre of excellence in plant science, horticulture, education and conservation.”

To mark the momentous occasion, the garden is inviting visitors to sign up for an exclusive presale, with the opportunity to book tickets 48 hours ahead of general admission.

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Entry to the Palm Houses will be by ticketed admission, with allocated time slots available throughout the day.

To avoid disappointment, RBGE recommends pre-booking in advance. Those who sign up for presale access at rbge.org.uk/palm-houses will receive the opportunity to book tickets 48 hours before the general public when they go on sale.

Members and patrons of the Botanics go free and will benefit from special preview access in September 2026, ahead of the public opening, with further information on booking to follow soon.