Stories from the Biomes: Replanting the Palm Houses, Part 1

Stories from the Biomes: Replanting the Palm Houses, Part 1 After five years of structural restoration and months of horticultural preparation, the first and largest group of plants has returned to the Palm Houses. This first stage focused on planting 71 of the largest palms and tree ferns, making their final move into the historic glasshouse, beginning in December 2025. Plant Preparation The Palm Houses were officially returned to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in September 2025, as final electrical work and finishing details continued in the background. Behind the scenes, a major reorganisation of plants across each relevant collection marked the first steps for the Glasshouse team before replanting could begin, a project covered in Stories from the Biomes: House 3 to House 5. The movement of heavy machinery over newly installed infrastructure demanded careful planning, technical skill and patient coordination, requiring a deep understanding of both the space and the plant collection it would ultimately support. What might appear as a steady, routine process was a complex and finely managed operation reliant on creativity, adaptability, and precision. The First Plant With the final sandstone paths yet to be installed, a temporary surface of fifteen steel plates and a layered arrangement of more than sixty thick wooden boards were laid across the primary pathway. This important set-up protected the new cast-iron grates covering a new heating duct system while creating a stable route for machinery. This arrangement raised ground levels within the already confined space, allowing for the re-landscaping to begin. It was essential to plant the largest palms and tree ferns before finishing works began, reducing the risk of damage to the new surfaces and making full use of the available space. A New Year The new year began with the immediate continuation of the replanting in the smaller octagonal Palm Houses. Each day work began at 7:30am, with plants moving continuously throughout. The smaller, domed glasshouse came with the challenge of a confined turning circle and multiple support pillars limiting access and visibility. Before lifting into position, root balls were measured and soil levels adjusted to ensure correct height and position, countering any existing lean in the trunks. A laser level was used to establish final heights in relation to the central heating ducts, resulting in each planting being temporarily mounded until final soil levels were in place. The work continues… This monumental stage of replanting was completed in just 27 days; the next stages focused on finalising soil levels following the installation of steel edging and the sandstone flooring. There is only one chance with moving plants of this scale; their safe arrival into the Palm Houses relied on steady decisions made over the years as well as during this historic move to prevent their irreplaceable loss in the wider collections at RBGE. The replanting gives back to the Palm Houses the very reason they exist; a purpose understood in the mid-1800s and through the almost 200 years since, with evolving horticultural practices laying the foundations for the success of today. Stories from the Biomes: Replanting the Palm Houses, Part 2 will cover the final replanting that continued over the summer months, involving understory plants and climbers as well the outdoor planting surrounding the Palm Houses before reopening to the publicon 2 October 2026. Previous Stories from the Biomes covering the glasshouse decants and other projects can be found here. Leave a Reply