Category: Edinburgh BotanicsPage 37 of 50

A rare first flowering

Planted in 1996 and fourteen years later Carrierea calycina produces its first flowers. The tree in the Garden at the base of the Chinese hillside is a male;…

Fragrant Phily

Planting of the Biodiversity Garden; the area of ground that reaches out to the south and east of the John Hope Gateway provided an opportunity for recently collected…

Buzzing with life

An unusual plant in cultivation; Schinus polygamus when observed on a warm day humming with bees and other pollinating insects deserves to be more widely planted. Growing through…

Favourite foliage

With mid summer approaching plants have taken the opportunity to maximise growth with the longer day length. Two plants with variegated foliage that lighten up dreary corners are…

Snow white on the scree slope

Celmisia hookeri in full bloom on the scree at the rock garden is a stunning sight. A composite flower; the single layer of large ray florets are pure…

The Azalea bank

The deciduous Azaleas provide a reliable mass display of colour and fragrance. Mix and match from the early Mollis Hybrids leading through the Exbury and Occidentale Hybrids to…

Ravaged by winter; cherished by spring

Well here we go harping back to the winter after the warmest weekend of the year. Winter has left its mark on the Chilean native, Acrisione cymosa. Notice…

Seals and shrimps in the season of phenomenal growth

Spring; and the ground flora greens up. Growth during the month of May is impressive; leaves seem to double in size during the hours of daylight. The prolonged…

Picture perfect Paeonia

With the sun on the petals this Paeonia coriacea is seen at its best. Each herbaceous shoot bestowed with flower. A native to Morocco where it was collected…

The most magnificent Malus

During the early 1900’s exploring the thickets of Sichuan in SW China Ernest Wilson introduced Malus hupehensis. Now a broad multi-stemmed tree with an eight meter wide canopy….

A crown at the Royal

Towering through the Herbarium border is the bright flowered Fritillaria imperialis ‘Orange Beauty’. These “Crown Imperials” are members of the Liliaceae family. ‘The terminal head of flowers is…

Arctic willow

Collected from the North eastern area of the Russian Federation; Petropavlovsk – Kamchatsklly, Salix sphenophylla is a prostrate hugging deciduous sub shrub. More used to a boreal maritime…

Gold for the Alpine team

A fine start for the Alpine team at the garden. The team have won gold medals for displays of alpines at Stirling, Hexham and Edinburgh this year. These…

Mini and maxi – blasts of yellow

Narcissus minor; one of the compact members of the genus is always a reliable species to flower. Preferring an open position in full sun it is flowering in…

Strawberries in baskets; potatoes in pots

All four of the Gardens will be open for the Easter weekend. Logan, Benmore, Dawyck and the RBGE. Visit one or more and enjoy the plant collection, look…

Aromatic Atherosperma

Tucked away in the back of a border is this late spring flowering evergreen. It appreciates the shady south westerly aspect corner bounded by two walls and overshadowed…

Two early Juno’s

Juno Iris are a sub group within the genus Iris. The Juno’s form the largest group of those Iris with a fleshy bulbous base. Demanding free draining compost…

A spring bouquet

Quite refreshing to appreciate a week of settled weather since the turn of the month. This bright sun has brought glasshouse temperatures into double figures and pushed on…

Frosted foliage

When will this winter end? At least March has started settled and suddenly the mornings are much lighter. One of the better things to come from these extended…

Sheep fodder

They must breed hungry sheep in New Zealand; the ability to graze over the hard spears of Aciphylla subflabellata requires determination. The plant was observed growing in grazed…