Pictured: Botanic garden curator who died after being hit by falling tree during Storm Boelo while walking near his home
Richard Baines, the 60-year-old curator of Logan Botanic Garden in Dumfries and Galloway, died on Sunday after a falling tree struck him while he was walking near his home during Storm Boelo. His death matters to the garden and botanical community: colleagues say he helped shape Logan’s development and expand its plant collection.
Baines led initiatives including the UK’s first public conservatory powered entirely by green energy, and the garden was named the UK’s best by Which in 2021. During his tenure, Logan also received a gold Green Business Tourism award and five-star visitor attraction status. He led or took part in fieldwork in China, the Canary Islands and Vietnam, with seven potentially new plant species being published; storm gusts reached 85mph in Machrihanish.
In short
- Logan Botanic Garden curator Richard Baines died aged 60.
- A falling tree struck him during Storm Boelo.
- He expanded the garden and led botanical fieldwork.
Explained simply
Logan Botanic Garden is a public garden in Dumfries and Galloway, on Scotland’s south-west coast. Its mild, sheltered climate allows it to grow plants that are uncommon elsewhere in the UK.
Richard Baines was the garden’s curator, responsible for its development and plant collection. His work included creating a public conservatory powered entirely by renewable energy and joining plant-gathering expeditions overseas, which contributed to the publication of seven potentially new species.
The garden has received recognition for its visitor experience and environmental work, including a UK-wide award in 2021. Baines’s long service made him a significant figure to colleagues at Logan and in the wider botanical community.