A new £1.4 million visitor centre at Dawyck, due to open next year, is set to enhance the experience for the thousands of members of the public who explore the Peeblesshire Garden each year.
Visitors will have the opportunity to become more involved with the Garden through exhibitions, presentations, tours and through a variety of educational projects.
Announcing the Scottish Executive funding commitment in March, Deputy Environment and Rural Development Minister Sarah Boyack commented: "Dawyck has a wonderful collection of trees and plants and is well used by locals and tourists. The new centre will give visitors a much better insight into the world around them. We can all learn from the way we interact with nature, and a dedicated visitor centre will explain Scotland's unique nature and wildlife to people of all ages".
Regius Keeper, Professor Stephen Blackmore added: "Dawyck offers a wonderful landscape with a superb collection of rare and historic plants set in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. I am sure that the new facilities will provide a boost to tourism in the Scottish Borders and be much appreciated by future visitors to the Garden."