Author: Kate BarnardPage 1 of 2

Fixed dunes – soil from sand

Sand dunes develop over time and go through a range of stages from mobile shifting sands near the sea, to fixed dunes further inland. Over time, organic matter…

Lime-rich ledges – arctic alpines

These species rich hanging gardens are home to a diverse and luxuriant mix of dwarf shrubs, tall herbs, bryophtyes, sedges and grasses. This plant community is restricted to…

Mountain willows – dwarf forests

Willow scrub is the highest altitude tree dominated vegetation in the UK. It is now restricted to rocky slopes and ledges which offer protection from grazing animals. The steep topography…

Coastal cliffs – vertical living

Scotland’s sea cliffs are not only home to seabird colonies, but also to hardy plants that cling to rocky ledges and form grassland communities on the cliff tops….

Shingle beach – coastal pioneers

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! This line from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates the dilemma faced by plants…

Snow beds – tough at the top

In the high mountains of Scotland, above 750m altitude, in areas where snow can lie late into the year, strong winds and snow cover influence what species can…

Limestone outcrops – Ice Age survivor

Although limestone outcrops occur at relatively low altitudes in Scotland, strong winds make this a very tough environment for plants. Grikes and crevices in the limestone rock create…

A host of golden Daffodils

Drifts of daffodils are brightening the Rock Garden just now. They aren’t the UK native species that Wordsworth was referring too, but a diminutive cousin, Narcissus cyclamineus. Over the…

First Scottish natives in flower

Saxifraga oppositifolia, the Purple Saxifrage is a plant well known to Scottish hill walkers for its very early display of bright pink flowers. The plants on the Target 8…

Vertical gardening – on tufa!

The tufa wall was planted up last May, and some of the species are now starting to flower. Primula allionii and Dionysia aretoides are two of the plants putting on…

A plethora of Primula’s

Well perhaps this is a slight exaggeration, but there are quite a few Primulas now flowering in the garden and Alpine House. This large and geographically widespread genus, found in…

Alpine Jewel Box

Known to some staff members as the alpine jewel box at this time of year, this small glasshouse located in front of the Palm House is a tapestry of…

Spring beauty from the East

A number of early flowering Rhododendrons have burst into flower over the past week in the Woodland Garden. All were collected in the early 1900’s in the Himalaya…

Blooming Hellebores

While snowdrops flowers are continuing to appear apace in the Rock Garden. The few rays of sunshine this week have encouraged some of the Hellebores in the Woodland Garden…

Early spring flowers

The first snowdrops are starting to unfurl in the Rock garden. Two of the earliest species that we have are Galanthus ‘Anglesey Abbey’ and Galanthus ‘Opehlia’. To enjoy…

Earth Mandala

A beautiful mandala was created in the garden yesterday from leaves, fruits and flowers. Celebrating the bounty of autumn, this transient piece of art is on the grassy slope…

From field to lab and back again

As part of the Scottish Plants Project we are trying to understand the propagation requirements of 170 of Scotlands’s most threatened or vulnerable species. We are well on…

Coastal adventures

The new bed of Scottish native plants near the rock garden is starting to fill out, but there are still some gaps that we need to fill. The…

The search is on….

I had the good fortune last week to be involved in field work in the Scottish Highlands, along with RBGE arborist Paul Mullany and Natsha de Vere from…

Scottish natives in full flower

The recent warm weather has pushed on all our recently pricked out seedlings, so we have been able to get more plants out into the developing bed of…