Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, recently visited the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to unveil Scotland's living memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
Designed for the Queen Mother's Memorial Fund for Scotland by the Highland architect Lachlan Stewart in collaboration with RBGE horticultural staff, The Queen Mother's Memorial Garden is an evocative tribute featuring a Celtic labyrinth surrounded by four "secret'' gardens containing plant species from around the world and offset around outer borders with colourful "regal'' plantings, the garden has as its focal point a stone pavilion housing a bronze low relief portrait of the Queen Mother. The pavilion's internal grotto-like walls are adorned with shells collected by school children around the country and the ceiling is decorated with pine cones from the four National Botanic Gardens of Scotland - Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan. Nearby a curved stepped grass area provides seating, designed particularly with school groups in mind.
Prince Charles, who is Patron of the Fund, said he was "enormously proud so many people at home and abroad had wished to contribute to the Memorial with such generosity." He added that the Garden would be a living and growing tribute to "his darling grandmother."
At the official opening, Fund Chairman David Bowes-Lyon said that the Garden seeks to reflect the Queen Mother's character and that it will be a living memorial for future generations who never knew her.
Please click here for further information on The Queen Mother's Memorial Fund.
The Queen Mother's Memorial Garden
The Queen Mother's Memorial Garden within the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has been created as Scotland's living memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. The landscape was designed for The Queen Mother's Memorial Fund for Scotland by the Highland architect Lachlan Stewart and RBGE staff have planted it extensively with species of royal name and association. It was conceived as a celebration of her life; a place free to be enjoyed by all who visit, to reflect something of her spirit and explain a little about her extraordinary life.
The central section incorporates a labyrinth inspired by a Celtic Cross at Eassie, close to Glamis Castle, Angus, where Elizabeth Bowes Lyon spent much of her childhood. The design of the labyrinth takes the form of a series of plantings in the shape of an "E'' for Elizabeth. Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) was selected for the labyrinth - rather than the more usual yew or box - to represent Scotland and, in particular, the moorland surrounding the Castle of Mey, her retreat in Caithness.
Around the outer perimeters are four "secret'' gardens dedicated to the "four corners of the Earth'' visited by The Queen Mother - Asia, Europe, Southern Hemisphere and North America - and each uses plants from that region. At the centre of each region is a specimen tree relevant to that continent: these are the only "tall'' elements of the garden. Each includes seating, so creating quiet areas for rest, contemplation and remembrance. The perimeter is defined by a hedge of clipped Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) hedge.
The interweaving paths of Caithness slate bear inscriptions - arranged chronologically - relating to key events during The Queen Mother's lifetime, while a low wall of slabs around the outer limits carries the names of organisations of which she was patron or president. Here, too, are the names of organisations and individuals who have made major donations to the Fund.
At the head of the Garden stands a stone pavilion. Its internal grotto-like walls are adorned with shells collected by school children around Scotland who took part in a national education project run by the Memorial Fund in association with local authority Directors of Education. The ceiling is decorated with pine cones collected from the National Botanic Gardens of Scotland - Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan. The centrepiece is a bronze low relief portrait of the Queen Mother. The pavilion is built of Scottish sandstone and topped with Caithness slate. Nearby a small curved and stepped grass area provides informal seating, designed particularly with school groups in mind.
All areas of the garden are accessible to wheelchair users. Throughout are regally titled plants, such as Queen Elizabeth roses and Amber Queen irises to name but two. The garden has been planted with around 10,000 individual plants, ensuring there is colour all year round.
The Queen Mother Memorial Garden is open daily during normal RBGE opening times, admission free.