10 March 2008

Evolution continues at Botanic Garden

*** Embargoed until photo opportunity 10.30 am, Monday March 10th ***
Garden curator Alasdair Hood and staff will be beginning work on the final dry stone wall.

Spring is in the air, there is some heat in the sun (when we see it) and the bulbs are starting to produce some bright colours. At the University of Dundee Botanic Garden the season is also being marked by the final stages of the development of the new `Evolutionary Garden’.

Staff at the Botanic Garden are just starting work on the final section of new wall which forms the back drop to the evolutionary garden, a project which will demonstrate twelve billion years of plant evolution.

"The evolutionary garden is really taking shape and is something which will be a key feature of the Garden for a long time to come,” said Alasdair Hood, curator of the Botanic Garden, who has managed the evolutionary garden concept."

"We are now at the stage of building the last of the dry stone walls which mark it out. This knot of inter twining walls has been gradually taking shape over the last 18 months and the finish is in sight."

"We have drafted in a professional wall builder to show staff some finer features of the art of dry stone walling and we are now hoping that we can attract a few volunteers along this week to help us finish the job."

"The final stage of building is taking place this week and it would be great if people can come along and join in."

Alasdair is eager to see the evolutionary garden complete. "Once this is done it will allow us to consider in more detail the plants that will be planted to tell the story from Algae to Angiosperms - 12 billion years of plant evolution," he said.

The next phase is the planting, which will be done with semi-mature stock to help create an instant feeling of maturity. The evolutionary garden is expected to formally opened in 2009, coinciding with the anniversary of Darwin's The Origin of Species.

In the meantime the Botanic Garden has been making progress in other areas over the winter. The education centre now offers a conference facility which can accommodate parties of up to 40 and it is hoped to launch evening opening for the coffee shop from the end of March.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk