Glasgow Gardens are blooming great

Glasgow’s botanical gardens and green spaces can help the visitor economy to blossom into the autumn, says VisitScotland.

The city is known for a thriving cultural scene, music and nightlife but more than a third of people (37%) visiting Glasgow went to a country park or garden while there were here, of those responding to the latest Scotland Visitor Survey, commissioned by the national tourism organisation.

Landscaped gardens offer a space to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquillity of plant life, with themed displays, and educational conservation programmes. These findings present an opportunity to encourage visitors to plan a trip to the Glasgow area where they can enjoy these attractions throughout the city and surrounding area, such is Glasgow’s reputation as the Dear Green Place.

In the wider Glasgow area 35% of people went for a hill walk, mountaineering, hike or ramble, according to the insights.

Connecting with nature or to be outdoors is the joint most popular reason for people taking a holiday in Scotland overall, representing more than of a third (38%).

More than half of visitors said a trip to Scotland enhanced their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing (59%).

For UK visitors intending on taking a trip to Scotland in autumn and winter this year, connecting with nature remains a key motivation for all Scottish destinations with most planned activities having a nature focus, according to VisitScotland’s insights. The Glasgow area is also among the preferred destinations for those considering a trip later in the year.

The Burrell Collection welcomed 498,159 visitors last year, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. Those enjoying the Discovering Degas exhibition can relax afterwards in the nearby walled herbaceous garden outside of Pollok House.

Located in a former tram works and open until September, the Hidden Gardens in the Southside features both native and exotic plants, with bamboos, rowans, magnolias, hazels.

There are 50 acres of parkland in the the west end at Glasgow Botanic Gardens where visitors can appreciate Kibble Palace and 11 other glasshouses to see rare orchids and a collection of begonias.

Greenbank Garden, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, close to Glasgow’s Southside suburbs, features more than 3,600 named species of plants, found within the historic walled garden and throughout Greenbank’s five-acre woodland and was visited by 22,727 people according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions in 2023.

VisitScotland’s Regional Director Lynne Cooper said: “Of those visitors considering a trip to Scotland, we’re seeing growing numbers thinking about a trip to city destinations, including Glasgow. We know many of these visitors are looking for those experiences to allow them to get closer to nature. Gardens and green spaces can be enjoyed all year round as the colours change with the seasons.

“We’re using our marketing activity and working with the local tourism industry partners to influence potential visitors at those early planning stages. Attracting visitors to the Glasgow area’s gardens benefits the many hospitality businesses and shops near the attractions, supports local supply chains and conservation programmes, provides employment and grows the wider economy.”

Ian McLelland, the National Trust for Scotland’s Regional Director for the South & West, said: “Scotland’s beautiful gardens are ideal places to connect with plants and nature and to enjoy the wellbeing benefits they bring, including the beauty of Greenbank in the Glasgow suburbs. There’s a rich diversity of gardens for people of all ages for people to enjoy and make memories. We look forward to welcoming them.”

Dougal Philip, Discover Scottish Gardens Board of Directors said: “Visiting gardens seems to be a national pastime, whether as a day out with family or friends in the most wonderful setting of a garden or as an exploration of different plants and gardens by very keen gardeners.

“Gardens offer the perfect place to unwind your mind from the busyness of everyday life. These spaces can do wonders for our mental health and well-being, whether it’s quiet space to reflect and rest, or a playground for all ages to explore and experience the beauty within Scotland’s gardens. Many gardens and their unique plant collections are world renown, playing vital roles in the conservation and protection of some of the world’s most precious plants.”

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Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 Glasgow & Clyde Valley - Tourism Statistics Domestic consumer sentiment tracker Visits made in 2023 to Visitor Attractions in membership with ALVA