Author: Max ColemanPage 6 of 10

Thought for Food: Ben Dell

Blog by Cristina Romero Rios, Fanni Barocsi and Georgina Hill, University of Edinburgh students Ben is kind, talkative and passionate about growing food. He says he has been…

Thought for Food: Andy Crofts

Blog by Cristina Romero Rios, Fanni Barocsi and Georgina Hill, University of Edinburgh students Andy’s passion for plants is clear. What he enjoys most about his job is…

Climate pins down dreaded tree disease

The day that Storm Doris arrives seems a fitting time to mention newly published research that suggests cold and windy weather has actually been responsible for holding back…

Thought for Food: Permanent global summertime

Blog by Cristina Romero Rios, University of Edinburgh student Have you ever asked yourself where the bananas that you eat come from? Have you wondered the same about…

Thought for Food: Community fridge initiatives

Blog by Georgina Hill, University of Edinburgh student For some, accessing fresh, nutritious food can be a challenge. Fruit and veg can be hard to transport and relatively…

Thought for Food: Charity spotlight

Blog by Fanni Barocsi, University of Edinburgh student Charities around Scotland and other parts of the world play a vital role regarding food security in local communities. Here…

Thought for Food: Reflections

As placement students from the University of Edinburgh at the Royal Botanic Gardens, our first day was far from conventional. Cristina was “amazed and entranced by the beauty,…

Thought for Food: Overcoming barriers

Today the media is covering a story about vegetable shortages here in the UK due to poor weather in southern Europe. This is a timely reminder to us…

Big Picnic: Thought for Food

Thinking about food is something we all do everyday when we get hungry. We are also increasingly being urged to think about food by medical professionals who give…

PROTREE: Computer games and tree health

Tackling the tree health problems caused by an ever expanding number of new pests and diseases is not just a matter of being vigilant and responding to outbreaks….

Black nightshade trials

Visitors to the Garden have been asking questions about this year’s Really Wild Veg trial plots that contain various black nightshade species. Jan, who tends the plants, has…

Dining on the dark side

Try to imagine how would you feel if you were invited to attend a meal where dishes made with black nightshade were going to be the centrepiece? This…

Full story of the Wentworth elm discovery

Following extensive media coverage of the discovery of the Wentworth elm at the Palace of Holyroodhouse this blog seems like the appropriate place to give a bit more…

Let’s Make a Bee Line

This morning around 11am Meg Beresford set off on her ‘Let’s Make a Bee Line’ walk from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to Wiston Lodge covering 10km a…

Moth records from the Garden

Moth trapping in the Garden is now happening on a regular basis with the input of Edinburgh Natural History Society and MSc student Tom Dawes. Records from 29th/30th…

BioBlitz record breaker

Counting the wild species in a given area in a set time is the aim of a BioBlitz. Clearly, the biggest list will be produced by involving as…

A most distinctive bee

The wool carder bee (Anthidium manicatum) is one of the most distinctive solitary bees that lives in the Garden. During July and August the Demonstration Garden and the…

Rare chance to see ant plant blooming for Science Festival

Some of us try our best to discourage ants in the garden. I’m not sure why as they really don’t do any harm. However, in the plant kingdom…

Moth trapping at the Garden: Two new records

Monitoring the wildlife in the Garden is an ongoing task that helps us understand the value of gardens, and other amenity greenspaces, for all sorts of different animals….

Discovering the Sapotaceae family

If anyone had asked me if I knew any plants belonging to the Sapotaceae family eight weeks ago, I would have had no suggestions – I probably wouldn’t…