Category: HorticulturePage 15 of 59

Latest blog stories connected with horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

A woody legume

A young specimen of Colutea cilicica, native to SW Asia is flowering well in the border behind the new alpine house. An unusual genus to find in cultivation,…

Expedition to Saipal Himal, Far West Nepal

There is a palpable air of excitement among team members as we make our final preparations for the expedition to Saipal Himal in western Nepal. Bajura District has…

Two interlopers

A consequence of a wet spell and the holiday season has resulted in the lawns not being cut as frequently as usual. Two plants have taken advantage of…

Continental colour combo

There is a winning combination in one of the alpine stone troughs. Here two surface hugging plants from separate continents have combined, growing through each other, their flower…

Two South African plants

Both of these plants were collected in Lesotho at the southern end of the Drakensberg Mountains, growing in grassland. Both appreciate an open sun drenched position with good…

Rhododendron serotinum

Planted in the uppermost section of the Chinese hillside this evergreen Rhododendron bears multiple trusses of shocking white flowers. Considering the exposed situation it has established well, and…

A weed is a plant in the wrong place

Having weeded out many specimens of Prunella vulgaris over the years it is of interest to see a mass planting of this herb, native to Europe and Central…

Free Course: How Plants Fight Back!

Ever wondered how plants have evolved to defend themselves? If you were a plant how would you stop something eating you? Poison? Spines? Pretending to be something else? …

Red Jasmine

A climbing plant with plentiful tubular red flowers, Jasminum beesianum makes the usual mass of tangled growth expected of these plants with loose scandent  growth. Some twisting action…

Pure white petals

This group of Prostranthera cuneate took a battering from our wet and cold conditions during the winter of 2015/16. Much defoliation took place, yet this southern hemisphere native…

Cornus capitata – FED 331– a botanical phoenix

In previous Botanics Stories I have written about the joys of Herbarium Angling, but fusty old botanists do occasionally emerge into the glare of daylight and take a…

A woodland treasure

Maianthemum likiangense, a valuable and choice addition to the woodland garden flora. Collected in Yunnan Province where it was growing amongst Quercus scrub at 3700m. A tall member…

Moutan Paeonies

One of the most historically important plants in RBGE is currently in flower in the Woodland Garden, immediately to the west of the old sweet chestnut tree opposite…

A floriferous stand of Primula

The unseasonably dry spring has not subdued the display from the candelabra and farinose Primula species. Primula sikkimensis is a strong growing perennial with a rigid straight stem…

Subshrub

Parahebe perfoliata is flowering profusely; it must be our climate, this mild winter, benign spring weather and the plant also has the benefit of a southerly aspect situated…

Perfect green panicles

Walking out of the John Hope Gateway into the Biodiversity garden  this wide spreading specimen of Acer caudatum ssp. ukurunduense is now mature enough to flower profusely. Collected…

Seasonal Highlights

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Ailanthus giraldii

The young growth as bud burst occurs is an intense red. The foliage is divided and this enhances the visual appeal of the emerging new growth. A large…

Strange fruit offer lifeline to rare elms

If you are visiting the Botanics in 2017 you might see some curious objects hanging in the elm trees. This is not an art installation, but in fact…

Fringe

A fine specimen of the evergreen Lomatia hirsuta is awash with flower in the Chilean area to the north of the front range of glass. A multistemmed tree…