To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dundee University’s Botanic Garden, a week of special events has been planned in this most beautiful corner of the city. Helen Brown talks to curator Alasdair Hood about a great public favourite.
I had my wedding pictures taken in the Botanic Gardens of Dundee University. For us, it was the perfect setting on a sunny Saturday morning in September almost 17 years ago and it is an atmospheric location in a busy city that claims a place in the hearts of many locals.
It’s a multi-faceted place, however a mixture of beauty and serenity with an intensely practical side, a site for contemplation, relaxation and serious study.
Spread over 9.5 hectares of south-facing land, sloping down towards the River Tay, it is one of only 13 or 14 university botanic gardens in Britain and can boast over 80,000 visits each year. It has a strong education and conservation commitment and is part of an international network of gardens.
This week, it celebrates its 40th birthday with a series of events ranging from walks, talks and runs to theatre performance and art exhibitions.
Curator Alasdair Hood said, “I suppose key events this week are the fun runs on Tuesday, which will give people an opportunity to run in a location they would otherwise not be able to, the performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest on Thursday which will go on regardless of the weather! and the valuation day by Bonhams, organised by the Friends of the Botanic Garden.
“But there is much more happening and we hope it will give people a real flavour of what we are about and the diversity of what’s on offer here.”
The garden’s past dates back to the 60s when the need was first identified and promptly shelved for lack of funding. By 1970, however, the idea of creating a garden on a shoestring budget had been revived and was encouraged by Professor James Drever, first principal of the university. Dr Edward Kemp came to Dundee from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and designed the new site, acting as its first curator from 1971 until 1980, when Les Bisset took over. Alasdair Hood has now been curator for 13 years.
“We still operate with a small staff but we do manage to keep the garden looking good. A lot of that is also down to the layout. The more I’m in the garden, the more Edward Kemp’s logic and vision look pretty good, ahead of his time in some ways.
“His idea was to plant in a geographical arrangement leading through the regions from the Mediterranean to the East Asian section. Rather than an A to Z of Mediterranean plants, for example, he put together settings to show what these plants may look like if you went to their home area to see them, a recognisable location with plants to suit.
“Many other gardens are now changing to this way of thinking and altering their layouts accordingly.”
It’s a pretty place beautiful, in fact and Alasdair recognises the place of such a green space in an urban environment.
“Of course, it’s a place of strong academic interest that’s why it’s here and our education programme goes from primary schools through to all levels of university study. It’s not just a public park that would be a very different beast but it is a safe and controlled environment and a quiet space in a city.
“It’s not good for us to live without that there’s a whole area of study concerning green space management and human well-being.”The series of anniversary events runs until Sunday, June 19. Full details at www.dundee.ac.uk/botanic