Storm Damage Appeal

Storm Éowyn caused devastating damage across all four of our Gardens. The damage has been severe and recovery is going to take some time, and significant cost. We need your help.

Storms are occurring with greater intensity and frequency as our climate changes. We are working towards building our future resilience. Please donate today so that we can continue to rebuild after Storm Éowyn, but also protect our Gardens from the storms still to come.

All your donations, no matter the size will be directly used across our four Gardens on vital restoration and resilience work.

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From the destruction of horticultural structures to the extreme damage and loss of trees and plants in our invaluable living collections, storm damage at our Gardens in recent years has resulted in many periods of difficult and expensive recovery.

With your support, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is proactively building funds to enable and ensure our quick and effective response to future incidents of extreme weather damage at all four of our Gardens.

Please consider donating to our Storm Damage Appeal today.

The devastating impact of Storm Éowyn

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[Simon Milne, Regius Keeper] The impact of the storm has been brutal across all four gardens. The loss is particularly felt by our tree collections, where I think we've lost probably in excess of four, maybe even 500 trees, with a whole lot more damaged. In addition to that, there's been damage to buildings and to our glass houses, so we're faced with a big problem.

[Will Hinchliffe, Deputy Curator] In Edinburgh, we've lost 15 significant trees, but a further 26 have been damaged, and it's going to take us probably a month to clear the fallen trees and fallen branches, but then another 12 months to do the remedial pruning work to the trees that have been damaged. Behind us, we can see what remains of what was the tallest tree in the garden, this Himalayan cedar, Cedrus deodara. An Aesculus flava, which is the yellow buckeye, has blown apart, and the falling piece has taken off the lower five branches of a Himalayan Hazel, Corylus jacquemontii. The Corylus jacquemontii is a really special tree to us. It's the only one we have in the collection, and we don't know of another one in UK cultivation.

[Sadie Barber, Research Collections Manager] About 80% or more of our glass houses that are the older ones that need attention, those are the ones that have been really badly damaged. The newest glasshouses that we have withstood no damage from the storm. There's about 200 panes of glass that need attention, most of which are broken. It's going to take several weeks for just the glass repairs. Beyond that, there's gonna be months and months, and checking to see how damaged plants have been from cold shock. One of our most important plants, the Trachycarpus princeps, is gearing up to be replanted in the palm houses. Currently, it's sitting under a big hole in the roof and getting dripped on by the cold rain, so that's become extremely vulnerable.

[Simon Milne] We've lost friends, we've lost part of our culture as well. So yes, we'll replant, but we're gonna miss the trees that we've lost. If there's an encouraging story to the storm, it is the response of the public and our supporters, and it's been absolutely tremendous, and that will help us restore the gardens back to their former glory.

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If you have any queries relating to donations, please call us on 0131 248 2929 or get in touch by using the enquiry form.

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Storm Damage Appeal

The devastating impact of Storm Éowyn

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Storm Damage Appeal

The devastating impact of Storm Éowyn

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