St Andrews Botanic Garden — Attraction in Scotland

I love these gardens, don't get me wrong they are not 'Kew Gardens, RHS Wolsey or Edinburgh Botanics' and more info throughout the site would be really useful. No, I like that they are a reasonable size, the water feature (a pond) has some benches to sit on and relax with some shade there too. There are enough walks and more seats all over the gardens so it's not all a case of sitting around the pond. The rockery has a gentle rise (not a hill as my amazing fiancé suggested it was!) and is a good spot from which to look over the site. A pity the shop had next to nothing in it and surprisingly no plants or garden 'stuff' for sale. The café is twee and, whilst not offering much has a sufficient amount for a snack but you might want to take something to munch yourself. The staff have never been anything other than very nice and willing to talk. I work overseas but absolutely love going to the gardens when I am home in Fife and heartily recommend this to anyone seeking a peaceful spot with beautiful surroundings. Oh and there are some birds at the pond who are a delight to watch. Update..... An autumnal visit on the first Fri of the month in Nov 22. I went on the first Fri because entrance is free which is a great saving for an old so and so like me. Was it worth it, yes, unreservedly so as well. The colours were, of course, superb but as much as that are the continuing improvements throughout the site. The children's play area is a superb location with a large 'Spiders Web' to climb up to a viewing platform, climbing frame, a large woodland glade seating area and many more items which will keep the children occupied. The huts for pausing in that are dotted around the site have been cleaned and a fresh lick of paint applied making them seem better. The wood is still rotten in them and the one in the herb garden, my favourite needs a new floor as the existing one has holes in it and is a trip hazard. The greenhouse housing succulents has much going for it, airy and with seats to rest and view the beautiful plants it's a must to call in and learn at the same time. It was a lovely sunny day, about 11⁰c in the sun so sitting with a coffee in its full light was very peaceful. That said it's crying out for a covered cafe or larger covered area to sit outside and enjoy 'kaffee und Kuchen' when it's not sunny. I'm sure it's both commercially viable and necessary. Oh, final selling point, the single multi use (men's, women's, disabled, baby changing room) toilet was very clean with skate loo rolls to hand. This site is a must any day of the week/month so enjoy it all. I've not proof read this, I know I should but hey - live life on the...

Friendly staff and some nice plants here and there. Unfortunately the whole of the glasshouses and herb garden area seems run down; most of the houses are closed and the plants are being moved away to other gardens, borders and paths are overgrown and many of the planted areas seem neglected. The situation is being sold on tatty A4 signs as an “improvement” but it certainly doesn’t feel like one - it seems more like the buildings are falling into disrepair and being cleared out one by one, and was a hugely disappointing anticlimax. It seems a strange decision to have the area partially open or visible to the public at all in its current state - it more closely resembles a derelict garden centre than a botanic gardens. At the very least, it would be fair to explain the situation properly to guests before taking their money. I’ve seen a reply to a similar review trying to claim that unkempt and poorly maintained borders, beds and paths is deliberate “promoting of native species” (or as they are also known, “weeds”) and citing the benefits to insects. It’s a shame to see excuses about nature being used so cynically, and feedback from paying customers being defended against and ignored. There is a lot of building development taking place right in the middle of the gardens with heavy machinery driving back and forth through a large part of the gardens, which means wherever you are, you can hear tractors and diggers driving, loading, reversing and beeping loudly, which ruins any sense of peace or tranquility. I understand there will always be a need for renovation, but it seems an unusual choice to plan such intrusive works for the height of the summer. The small area around the pond is nice, and there are moorhens and their chicks which were a delight to see. Unfortunately as the gardens are quite small and the glasshouses (the main attraction for a botanic gardens) are so poor, we were left with an overall negative impression despite trying to make the best of it. There are many brilliant things to do in and around St Andrews, but this isn’t one of them. Definitely wouldn’t...

This is a splendid and spectacular Botanic Garden situated a short way from St Andrews Centre with a nice array of plant life on offer to see. The site itself is nice and compact but still makes a lovely relaxing beautiful walk around. On the walk around you can see some Redwoods which blend in well with the woodland and are picturesque and visitors can also see the Rockery Garden and Kitchen Garden and Orchards and some flowers borders. The walk around the site is fairly easy going and along with the walk around you can see small pools which blend in well with the flowers on show. The best part of the site is the Rockery Garden as you get a feel as you walk round it that there is a feel to it and it has a Himalyan style look to it. The flower borders just opposite the Rockery Garden are also spectacular as there is a tremendous transition of different colours that dazzles the eyes. The price to get into the site is £6 for Adults which is more than reasonable and is an absolute bargain for what is a great place and helps it maintain for future generations. There is a small gift shop on site with a nice array of souvenirs at reasonable prices and in the shop there is a nice small selection of refreshments at affordable prices. Overall this is an absolutely brilliant to visit and walk around and relax around picturesque gardens and see some...