IT WAS designed to celebrate her remarkable life and was inspired by her Scottish roots and lifelong affection for the country of her birth.
Now Scotland’s spectacular ornamental garden dedicated to the late Queen Mother will officially re-open to the public today to mark the 120th anniversary of the royal’s birth.
In July 2006 the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke and Duchess of Rothesay officially opened the Queen The Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden
at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was opened in July 2006 by members of the royal family including The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
Scotland’s national memorial to the Queen Mother, it was designed by architect Lachlan Stewart to reflect her life and the places that were important to her, and is based on the Eassie Cross near Glamis Castle, her childhood home.
Although the RBGE reopened its flagship Edinburgh site in July as part of the nation’s
route map out of lockdown, staff have continued work in the memorial garden in preparation
to mark the 120th anniversary of the much-loved royal’s birth, on August 4, 1900.
RBGE’s Herbaceous Supervisor Kirsty Wilson, said : “The Queen Mother wasn’t a fan of memorial statues but she loved gardens. And it was her wish that a garden was created in her memory.
“It is with great pride that my team has worked so hard after lockdown to open this much-loved space to our visitors and celebrate the anniversary of her birthday.
“The four corners of this garden are planted to represent the ‘four corners of the world’ to reflect the Queen Mother’s love of travelling.
“The plants, selected for educational and ornamental purposes, are predominantly plants commonly found in cultivation, and are characteristic of the many geographical regions that she visited on her royal travels.
“Scotland takes centre-stage in the design, with a Celtic-style Labyrinth planted with bog myrtle, which is a native of our wet uplands and evocative of the landscapes around the Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother’s home in Caithness in the north of Scotland.”
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from the accession of her husband George VI until his death in 1952.
After the king’s death, she became known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, the current Queen.
Until her death in 2002, aged 101, she was consistently popular with the public.
The Labyrinth features bog myrtle in a pattern of interlocking Es, formed into four corners
representing geographical areas – Asia, Europe, North America and the southern hemisphere.
Unlike most of the Botanic Garden, the plants in this particular area are purely ornamental, with many coming from commercial nurseries with royal connections.
It is surrounded by walkways in Caithness stone inscribed with events that took place during the Queen Mother’s life and the names of organisations for which she was patron and the regiments for which she was Colonel in Chief.
In the east of the Queen Mother’s garden is a pavilion, built from the same Caithness stone and adorned with shells and pebbles collected by children from across Scotland and pine cones representing the four corners of the globe collected from RBGE and its three regional gardens.
The pink rose “Queen Elizabeth” also features in the garden.
Kirsty, who is familiar to millions as co-presenter of BBC Scotland series Beechgrove Garden, added: “In the past year my herbaceous team has made new plantings of Alliums dotted through the herbaceous perennials.
“These provide spring interest before our gorgeous summer roses start to flower. We have also recently added pink Nerine bowdenii, which puts on a vibrant display at the end of summer. These bulbs originate from South Africa.”
The Duke of Rothesay paid tribute to his “beloved” grandmother as he helped unveil the £525,000 garden.
He said: “I’m enormously touched that so many people at home and abroad have wished to contribute to the memorial.”
“This will be a living and growing tribute to my beloved grandmother.”
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