Sibbaldia is a diamond open access journal which provides an opportunity for horticulturists and others in botanic gardens worldwide to share their expertise in maintaining and managing living collections.

Horticulture in botanic gardens is incredibly varied. Horticulturists are in the middle of all the activity as guardians and promotors of the main attraction, the plants. A huge amount of information and knowledge is amassed by horticulturists over the years because so much of horticulture is based on experience and observation. Traditionally communication about growing plants is by word of mouth and shared with close colleagues. Historically, gardeners are given vocational, practical training and the knowledge held by those who look after the plants is essential to the future of horticulture and botanic gardens themselves.

Subjects covered in Sibbaldia include: cultivation methods and protocols, curation and management of collections, landscaping projects, species descriptions, garden history, how gardens are used, education in gardens, and plant records. Papers are illustrated in full colour. Our readership extends from horticulturists and garden managers to students, conservationists, plant scientists and interested amateurs and plant enthusiasts around the world.

Read us

All volumes are available to view and download for free at https://journals.rbge.org.uk

The most recent volume is No. 22 and is available to browse and purchase here 

Most back issues and the current volume are available to buy as printed copies by email to the address at the bottom of this page.

Some recent papers

1. Parasitic plant cultivation: examples, lessons learned and future directions

by Chris Thorogood (Oxford Botanic Garden), Joko Ridho Witono (Bogor Botanic Garden), Sofi Mursidawati (Bogor Botanic Garden) & Andreas Fleischmann

A review of propagation breakthroughs in temperate and tropical botanic gardens to identify guiding principles for the cultivation of parasitic plants: https://journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/article/view/1892

2. Establishing the National Seed Bank of Wales: Collecting, Conserving and Restoring the Welsh Flora

3. The need for horticulturist expertise in plant conservation: challenges and opportunities

Specialist horticultural skills are essential for proactive plant conservation and management. Details on tools and resources developed by Botanic Gardens Conservation International designed to engage and support the participation of horticulturists are described: https://journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/article/view/316

Write for us

We are always looking for new and interesting articles about horticulture and plant management in botanic, heritage and public gardens. If you have an idea for an article please email us. We welcome contributions from horticulturists, conservationists, scientists and other professionals with a little or a lot of experience in publishing.

Guidelines for contributors: https://journals.rbge.org.uk/index.php/rbgesib/about/submissions#authorGuidelines