Marley, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s much-loved resident cat, will be getting youngsters involved in Fascination of Plants Day on Tuesday (18 May).

The Botanics’ online Marley’s School of Garden Magic activities take young followers on a virtual tour, giving them the opportunity to find out more about some of the weird and wonderful plants, with some magical creatures to be encountered along the way.

Youngsters will be joining plant enthusiasts all around the world to take part in the first-ever virtual Fascination of Plants Day. The goal of the event is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture and sustainable production of nutritious food, as well as for pretty much all aspects of our lives.

Dr Tim George, a plant scientist at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland and UK coordinator of the event, says everyone is invited to celebrate the importance of plants.

“Many plant science institutions, universities, schools, botanical gardens and museums, together with farmers and industry, have opened their doors for Fascination of Plants Day since the inaugural event in 2012. This year there is truly something for everyone.”

Cath Ashby, RBGE’s Education Officer, said it was important to get children engaged with the world of plants at a young age. She explained: “Marley's School is open for younger learners at any time. Thanks to the kind support of the players of the People's Postcode Lottery we were able to meet the need for home learning about nature during last year's lockdown. We hope to continue to build our online resources for children and schools to spread the wonder of plants to learners both near and far.

“We have had over 10,000 views of the materials we created and have reached 4149 active users from all over the country and some from outwith the UK. We hope that even more people will join Marley online for Fascination of Plants Day.’’

Adults can get involved in Fascination of Plants Day at RBGE by signing up for free courses on RBGE’s Propagate virtual learning platform. Courses include How Plants Fight Back, Keep Edinburgh Buzzing and Plants and Climate Change.

For more details about Fascination of Plants Day visit plantday18may.org

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For further information and images, please contact Sandra Donnelly at sdonnelly@rbge.org.uk

Editor’s notes

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a leading international research organisation delivering knowledge, education and plant conservation action around the world. In Scotland its four Gardens at Edinburgh, Benmore, Logan and Dawyck attract around a million visitors each year. It operates as a Non Departmental Public Body established under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985, principally funded by the Scottish Government. It is also a registered charity, managed by a Board of Trustees appointed by Ministers. Its mission is “To explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future”.

Learn more: www.rbge.org.uk