History & Heritage

Pictured above: railing baskets, Perth Concert Hall plaza

History of our group

We were initially established in 1989 as "Take a Pride In Perth". The name changed in 1990 to 'Perth in Bloom' before changing again to "Beautiful Perth" in 2007 to represent our wider range of projects. As well as our horticultural work, we undertake a broad range of community partnerships and environmental projects. Our current major projects include maintenance and redevelopment of Riverside Park  

Perth's hortcultural history

The rich alluvial deposits from the River Tay, combined with its sheltered location, make Perth a place that enjoys rich growing conditions. In the area now covered by Riverside Park, there was a nationally important nursery established in the 18th century by James Dickson, whose notable clientele included HRH The Duke of York, who sourced trees for Windsor Great Park. The first double-flowered Scots Roses were cultivated in the nursery by Messrs. Dickson and Brown (later Dickson and Turnbull) of Perth in 1793, after Robert Brown and his brother transplanted some of the wild Scots Roses (Rosa pimpinellifolia) from Kinnoull Hill into the nursery. This is believed to have formed the initial basis of commercial rose breeding as we know it today. The nursery was also the first to distribute one of the most valuable Scottish root crops, the Swedish turnip, first grown from seeds sent to the nursery by the great botanist Carl Linneaus in 1772.  

To learn more about our Fair City, go to our About Perth page.

Pictured below (from left): litter picking with Police Scotland Youth Volunteers; daffodils in Riverside Park; sponsored bed, Rosslyn House; the heather collection in Riverside Park. Click on the images to view larger versions.