The one problem with the welcome return of Edinburgh's magnificent Palm Houses

Would you like to experience a “moment of calm”, to be “totally immersed in nature” in an urban oasis beneath “breathtaking, glass-domed roofs”? Thought you would. The famous Palm Houses at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden are reopening after a five-year refurbishment and it’s definitely been worth the wait.

There are some 600 species of plants, including a young sabal palm that’s the offspring of one of the garden’s “oldest and most celebrated plants”, the Sabal mexicana, thought to have been around 200 years old when it had to be felled in 2021. A 1,000-strong army of ladybirds has also been enlisted to help protect the plants.

READ MORE: Fundraising for £65m second phase of Botanics glass house refurbishment to begin 'as soon as possible'

The Palm Houses at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are re-opening from today | RGBE

The garden’s horticulture director, David Knott, said he was “excited and relieved” to be back. This is a particularly special place for him as it is, apparently, where he learned to walk. “It's the smell of the Palm House I remember from being a child rather than the plants themselves,” he said.

However, if you want to smell that smell, and feel that calm, you will, unfortunately, need to wait – its opening weekend is completely sold out. And no wonder.