Dundee Botanic Garden set to welcome visitors once more

The University of Dundee Botanic Garden will re-open tomorrow after almost four months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Garden will once again welcome visitors from Wednesday 15 July as part of a phased re-opening. The full 27-acre garden will be open for people to enjoy although there will be some new measures and restrictions in place to ensure a safe return. 

In the initial phase, opening hours will be reduced to 10am-3pm and those wishing to visit will have to pre-book tickets via TripAdvisor or Viator, or alternatively join the Friends of the Dundee Botanic Garden. Hand sanitiser will be available for visitors upon entry and exit. Buildings on the site will remain closed, including the glasshouse and the café. New signage has also been introduced to encourage visitors to maintain appropriate distance and comply with good hygiene. 

The Garden usually attracts more than 80,000 visitors each year, and staff are looking forward to welcoming people back to the city’s popular green space. 

Curator of the Garden, Kevin Frediani, said, “I am very pleased to announce the Botanic Garden will be open again for our Friends and visitors to enjoy from 15 July. 

“It has felt like a never-ending road during lockdown, but it will be great to see people return to make this garden come alive again. Opening the main garden has been something our Friends and regular visitors have been asking for and I am now confident we can open without anyone being put at risk. 

“To ensure safety for all visitors, we ask that people follow social distancing and guidance we have put in place on site, and will require visitors to pre-book tickets online or join the Friends of the Dundee Botanic Garden, as we won’t have cash handling on site for a while longer. 

“We may not be able to visit foreign climes, but we offer 27-acres of secret garden in a unique setting where you can enjoy a walk around the world of plants.” 

The University of Dundee Botanic Garden boasts a wide range of plants, with fine collections of conifers and broad-leaved trees and shrubs, tropical and temperate glasshouses, as well as water and herb gardens. Located in 9.5 hectares of south facing, gently sloping land near the banks of the River Tay, the Garden features many species of indigenous British plants as well as representative collections of important plants from all the continents of the world.