Chilean Hillside Interpetation

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

2016

The Chilean Hillside is a large, highly sloped area of Benmore Botanic Garden, near Dunoon. It was established about 20 years ago with the aim of growing Chilean plants and trees – many which are threatened in the wild. By 2016 the area was maturing, with the landscape slowly beginning to resemble a natural Chilean rainforest and providing a safe and secure site to conserve the genetic diversity of trees, shrubs and plants. However, there was little to tell visitors about the unique nature of this project or the fascinating stories behind the plants and was felt that the lack of visitor interpretation needed to be addressed. 

I worked with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's Martin Gardner, and Benmore Curator Peter Baxter to provide content, design and editorial services. We featured the stories of 8 plants and trees using panels mounted on half sawn logs, and added large entrance panels to help orientate and guide visitors.