The giant natural garden that featured in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games opening ceremony will be moved to the athletics venue before taking up a permanent home in Scotland. The creation, which included 2,400 plants, greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla as they emerged from a Tardis at the start of the show.
Athletes from 74 nations and territories then paraded past the 200 sq m (2,153 sq ft) green jigsaw before taking their seats in the Hydro. The garden, which is 15m (49ft) in diameter, was designed by Amalie White in collaboration with plantsman Jamie Butterworth.
“To have a huge natural garden at an international event is hugely important because it puts horticulture literally centre stage.
“For me it was the very best of Scotland, Britain and the Commonwealth through the medium of plants and possibly the biggest garden jigsaw ever seen.”
During the opening ceremony, wooden batons decorated by each nation and territory were ceremonially planted.
They will now be placed in a special viewing cabinet at the Kelvingrove Park Game On Live Site. Meanwhile, the garden, which is on wheels, will be moved to Scotstoun sports campus in time for the athletics.
The athletics get under way on Monday when Scotland's Eilish McColgan will bid to defend the 10,000m title she won in Birmingham.
Louise Mahon, chief marketing and communication officer for Glasgow 2026, said the Scottish Nature Garden was a key part of the concept for the opening ceremony of Glasgow 2026.
“The Scottish Nature Garden was a key part of our concept for the opening ceremony of Glasgow 2026, representing Scotland's natural landscape and evoking coastal paths, alpine landscapes and loch sides.
“It's brilliant that it will continue to delight spectators at Scotstoun Stadium during the athletics programme there.”
The garden's final home is expected to be confirmed after the Games.
As well as the Royal couple's Tardis arrival, the opening ceremony featured Outlander star Sam Heughan coaxing a giant Loch Ness Monster onto the stage.
The event was a colourful celebration of Glasgow, which stepped in to stage the 23rd Games after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out due to soaring costs.
Singer Callum Beattie, flanked by dancing silver unicorns and stars, performed Scotland's unofficial football anthem, Yes Sir, I Can Boogie. Nina Nesbitt and Tom Walker also performed before KT Tunstall closed the show.
The finale, a giant Tunnock's Teacake taking off like a rocket from the centre of the stage, showcased the city's sense of humour. It was also a nod to the dancing teacakes that featured during the Celtic Park opening ceremony when Glasgow last hosted the Games in 2014.
The ceremony lasted two hours and 20 minutes.
Organisers said the garden was designed to highlight the natural beauty of Scotland by evoking its untamed wilderness of lochs, hills and moorland. The plants were tended within 18 movable modular trays, each of which weighed a ton.
White's stage design was inspired by Scotland's pioneering textile industry and Glasgow's shipbuilding heritage.
“The stage was not just a performance space - it served as a crossroads where athletes from across the city, the country, and the Commonwealth met, a place where sport, nature, culture and art interconnected.”
The plants were grown peat-free on Butterworth's Form Plants nursery and were chosen for their wild palette and texture. White said the soft, muted colours and textures act much like a traditional tartan or tweed.
“These soft, muted colours and textures act much like a traditional tartan or tweed.
“Up close, the individual details are intricate, but from afar, everything feels connected.
“I selected plants that I'd seen and evoke memories of times spent in Scotland, from the wild coastline and mountainous landscapes to the urban environment.”
Butterworth guided the selection so that the plants grew well together and made sense as a whole. On a practical level, they were carefully chosen to ensure the audience could clearly see the athletes and performers move through the space.
“The beauty and rugged Scottish landscape has inspired poets, artists and nature lovers and to bring a piece of that to the wider world last night was a highlight of my career as a plantsman.
“It was the most challenging and thus most exciting horticultural installation I've been involved in.”
Butterworth described the experience - and the challenge - as unique.
“As a gardener you don't usually get to work with premier set designers, in a stadium on the world-stage. I felt galvanised watching the ceremony last night.
“When the stage designer Amalie White said the whole garden had to be moved in two minutes flat, that just added to the fun.”
The garden used ornamental grasses to provide a baseline texture and featured plants including Molinia, Sesleria, Calamgrostis, Agastache, Catanache, Perovskia, Sanguisorba, Selenium, Nepeta and resilient thistles.
The physical garden was enhanced by an immersive wrap-around screen that created the illusion that the stage was nestled in the middle of a boundless landscape.
The opening ceremony was the second collaboration between White and Butterworth. The pair previously worked on last year's Gucci Cruise at London's Tate Modern.
White, a creative director and stage designer, was also responsible for Rosalia's Brit Awards performance. Butterworth is a leading garden broadcaster and teamed up with Monty Don to create The Dog Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The stage was dominated by the garden during the athletes' parade.
The wooden batons decorated by each nation and territory will now be placed in a special viewing cabinet at the Kelvingrove Park Game On Live Site.
Team Scotland passed the garden as they entered the Hydro to the biggest roar of the night.
The King and Queen walked through the garden after emerging from a Tardis as cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy looked on.
Outlander star Sam Heughan was partially obscured by the garden as he coaxed the Loch Ness Monster onto stage.
White and Butterworth previously collaborated for the Gucci Cruise 25 at Tate Modern in London.
How was the garden created?
The giant natural garden was designed by Amalie White in collaboration with plantsman Jamie Butterworth and built to travel on wheels. It featured 2,400 plants arranged in 18 movable modular trays, each weighing a ton, and measured 15m (49ft) across.
Why was it used in the ceremony?
Organisers said the installation was intended to showcase Scotland's landscapes and heritage, from lochs and moorland to the country's textile and shipbuilding traditions. The immersive screen behind it helped create the impression of a vast natural setting.
What happens next?
The garden will move to Scotstoun sports campus for the athletics programme, where it will continue to be displayed before its final home is confirmed after the Games. The batons from the ceremony will be housed at the Kelvingrove Park Game On Live Site.
Key Facts
- The garden featured 2,400 plants and measured 15m (49ft) in diameter.
- It appeared in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and will move to Scotstoun sports campus.
- Athletes from 74 nations and territories took part in the parade past the installation.
- The ceremony included performances by Callum Beattie, Nina Nesbitt, Tom Walker and KT Tunstall.
- The garden's final permanent home is expected to be confirmed after the Games.
