St Andrews Botanic Garden

A garden with a long history

The garden began in 1889 as a university teaching collection in the grounds of St Mary's College, laid out to the plant classification of the day. It moved to its present site on the Kinness Burn in the 1960s, when the ground was still farmland and pine shelterbelts had to be planted to break the wind. Today it is run by the St Andrews Botanic Garden Trust, a Scottish charity.

What to see

Several thousand plant species grow here, arranged in zones of woodland, meadow, herbaceous borders, sand dune and a large rockery, with a chain of ponds through the middle. Look for the borders devoted to Chinese and Chilean flora and the collections of cotoneaster, berberis and sorbus. The garden presents itself as a place to explore designed ecologies, and its plant nursery by the visitor centre sells many of the species you see in the beds.

Planning a visit

Allow an hour or two. There is a small café beside the entrance and a gift shop in the visitor centre. A mostly level loop path with benches and shelters makes much of the garden manageable with a wheelchair, though the routes down to the ponds are steeper. Afterwards, the West Port and South Street are about ten minutes' walk north.

Highlights

• 18 acres of woodland, meadow and ponds
• Founded by the University of St Andrews in 1889
• Chinese and Chilean plant borders and a large rockery
• Plant nursery selling garden-grown species

Good to know

• Admission is charged; carers go free with the person they support and can book free carer tickets online.
• Accessible parking bays sit close to the visitor centre entrance; a wheelchair can be borrowed if reserved in advance.
• Assistance dogs are welcome; check with the garden about other dogs before you go.
• Some paths, including the way down to the ponds, are steep or stepped.

Frequently asked questions