How sad tale of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's oldest living plant has happy ending
Moved by the sadness of horticulturalists over the loss of an aged palm tree, two artists created a hit Fringe show that is set to tour the country
In 2021, a 200-year-old Sabal palm tree – the oldest living plant in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – had to be felled to allow a major refurbishment of the Victorian tropical glasshouses. Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy, artists in residence at the time, found themselves “struck by the sadness of the horticultural team” and held a living wake the night before it was cut down.
That was not all they decided to do. Together, they created a smash-hit Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, called Windblown, about the palm that wowed the critics, including The Scotsman’s own Joyce McMillan. Now the show is to tour Scotland, helping to preserve the venerable and clearly much-loved palm’s memory.
This may seem a sad tale. However, at the garden, life springs eternal as horticulturist Simon Allan explained: “It was an iconic plant and it was difficult to have to remove it, but we knew that we would be able to propagate from it. We've got a few plants of different ages... [some] just beginning to show the characteristics of the adults with the broad, fanned leaf.”
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