Tag: Weekly HighlightsPage 1 of 3

Ten years of seasonal plants of interest – 12 that flower or colour reliably year on year.

A lot of plants have caught my eye during the past decade while compiling a weekly profile on a seasonal plant of interest. Below are the consistently reliable…

Raspberry ripple

Weigela decora collected in Japan from an area of dense mixed forest containing Cryptomeria japonica and Stachyurus praecox, these were huge parent plants spreading and reaching 4m x…

Unintended consequences

You study diligently, you consult books, you visit other gardens for ideas on colour and combination then a rampaging Ranunculus invades your border and the most appealing floral…

A Rose by any other name

The Genus is just the start. As plants are collected in the field they arrive back at the Botanics with collectors notes; some detailed, some not so. These…

Perfect for a sun drenched corner

The sun filled days we have been experiencing have brought out the flowers on Helianthemum nummularium ssp. tomentosum to perfection. This subspecies is native to Italy, collected on…

Oversized hedgehog

Erinaceae anthyllis grows in mountainous regions of Europe and North Africa. A hugging evergreen with sharp spines to protect from grazing animals. The blue tinged purple flowers cover…

Bud to bloom; Paeonia perfection

          The herbaceous Peonies; short lived in bloom but once established in the border are you callous enough to dig them out? This cultivar,…

Gloves in May

May, a month of long weekends and long warm evenings; only partially true this year. The low temperature throughout May has not been conducive to growth. The student…

White pillars in midsummer week

Mass planting of the white form of Digitalis purpurea are attracting much attention in the woodland garden. These selected seedlings are sown and grown for one year, transplanted…

Pearls of wisdom

This season the Enkianthus campanulatus have flowered prolifically. This, a result of a long warm spring preceded by a hot dry summer ripening the wood. The show does…

Subtle greens for summer

Take a moment to visually absorb the shades of green on the immature flower buds of Maianthemum racemosum. Growing on the edge of the woodland garden it is…

Just one cloud during Elspeth’s holiday

On the hot hillsides of Crete Elspeth saw the potential of Silene italica. A feature of the Mediterranean macchi or its poorer relative the garigue scrub vegetation it…

Hedge cutting with an eye for a nest

Now is the time to be cutting hedges for the first time this season. Where a formal appearance is required then trim using sharp hand shears. The fastigiated…

Bristly leaves, pearly racemes

Gaultheria hookeri, a mass of prostrate evergreen twiggy growth that covers mountainsides and as undergrowth to Rhododendron species in the Himalayas and Western China. It is now flowering…

Ae Fond Kiss

The late flowering Primula kisoana hails from Japan. A crossing of cultures; the title refers to Burns most recorded song probably well aired in Japan. P. kisoana is…

A giant out of season daffy

Paramongaia weberbaueri is a tender bulb native to Peru. The genus is in the family Amaryllidaceae as are Daffodils. Growing to one metre plus; the long linear foliage…

Translucent yellow foliage

Large green Hosta’s are often regarded as the cabbages of the ornamental garden; this specimen is more elegant Hosta lancifolia ‘Aurea’ is a delicate coloured cultivar. The leaves…

Olympic double

The Olympic torch passes through Edinburgh this week. Our own Olympic double has been showing promise thriving in the south border for many a year. Forming a thicket…

Black lace in a fritter

This year the black foliage cultivar of the “Elderberry”; Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ has blossomed; magnificently and with exuberance. It has the scent of the white flowered hedgerow…

The longest day and a plant that appreciates good light levels

The pink daisy like flowers of Delosperma lavisiae appreciates good levels of natural light. Sunlight is essential to persuade the buds to open revealing the ring of narrow…