Edinburgh locals have been left disappointed by the straw-like grass along Princes Street Gardens as the ongoing warm weather puts pressure on the council’s watering services.
The grassy area has long been an attraction of the city as one of the iconic views of the capital. However, as the warm weather continues over the summer it has left much of the grass yellow and dry.
This has left many locals disappointed by the underwhelming views, with some locals noticing the quality of the lawns slowly deteriorating over the past six months. This comes as Scotland records record breaking temperatures this year, as the capital climbs to 31 C.
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Of the locals we spoke to, none were surprised by the changes to the grass at Princes Street Gardens. Many had noticed the state of the grass deteriorating but believed that said that it’s likely part of the ongoing effects of the climate crisis.
We spoke to Mark, who said: “This is the first time in quite a while we have been dry. The grass is really dry. It’s understandable because we have had such a dry summer just like the rest of the country.
“It’s very windy as well, which won’t have helped. It’s perfectly understandable, although it’s a bit of a shock because there are water shortages and that water is probably best used somewhere else rather than watering grass.
“It’s climate change, people can’t argue that anymore. It’s climate change and it’s going to come more and more often and I think we have to prepare for it. Stop having that shock and going ‘oh what’s going on?’ sort of thing. Because it’s happened and we need to do things to try and reverse it as much as we can but we have to expect it.
Another resident, Nicola, said: “I think it looks terrible, it looks like hay as opposed to grass. It’s completely dead, I think it needs to be replaced.
“It’s been like this for a while. We have been coming here for years and all through the summer it’s been like this. Especially over the past six months- it doesn’t even look green anymore.”
Andrea said: “As you can see, it is getting worse. It’s very dry, I knew what I was going to see but for people who don’t expect this, it is very disappointing.
“The climate is crazy, it doesn’t rain anymore, I don’t know why. When it does rain it only does so a little bit. It used to rain more but in the last five years it hasn’t as much. And when it doesn’t rain, obviously the grass doesn’t grow well.”
Edinburgh council have been approached for comment.
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