The Coffee Garden

The Coffee Garden designed by Kirsty Wilson and constructed by the Garden Design Diploma students won a gold medal, best in show and the people's choice award at Gardening Scotland in 2019.

Coffee is one of the world's favourite drinks, one of the most important commercial crop-plants, and the second most valuable international commodity. Everyone loves coffee and it is one of life’s greatest pleasures. However many people have forgotten the home of coffee and that it is originally from a plant. Although there are 125 species of coffee, we only actually use two species to produce the popular beverage Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta.

Many plantations are based on one plant meaning low genetic diversity, which means they have low tolerance to pests and diseases. Our climate is changing and this could directly affect coffee production in the future. This is why monitoring, and studying plants is vital to our survival on earth – without plants there is no life. This show garden reflects the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s mission to educate people about plants, connecting people with nature and making a positive impact on the world.

At a time when climate change is arguably the most pressing of global challenges, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is working with partners at home and abroad to address the central issue of worldwide plant conservation. RBGE’s work involves protecting plant species before they disappear and monitoring the situation to understand the speed with which their habitats are changing.

RBGE is currently conducting work in Colombia as it is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth. Practically every kind of ecosystem can be found within its borders. Colombia is one of the world’s greatest coffee-producing nations, selling US $2.64 billion around the world each year. RBGE Colombia aims to study the biogeography evolution and conservation of Colombian biomes. Field expeditions are being conducted in close collaboration with local communities and researchers in areas of Paramo, mountain forest, cloud forest, dry forest and lowland rain forest. This garden highlights RBGE’s outreach abroad and highlights the institutions impact on explaining and exploring the world of plants for a better future.

Plant List:

Acer ‘Bloodgood’

Acer ‘Senkaki’

Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’

Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’

Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’

Aquilegia vulgaris ‘William Guiness’

Carex testacea

Deschampsia flexuosa ‘Tatra Gold’

Dryopteris wallichiana

Euphorbia characias ssp. Characias ‘Humpty Dumpty’

Geum ‘Alabama Slammer’