Category: HorticulturePage 25 of 59

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

Figure in Victorian photograph identified as James McNab

It was difficult to spot there even was a figure in a Victorian photo of the RBGE Rock Garden which was transferred to the Archives last week, and…

A day across at Benmore Botanic Garden

Last monday (2nd March 2015) I headed across to Benmore Botanic Garden with Martin Gardner & Nye Hughes (designer and web developer at Dalrymple), while there I saw…

Vivacious beginnings

An apt name for a flower that bursts into colour at the start of the growing season. Iris ‘Vivacious Beginnings’ is one of several cultivars new to the…

A fine fresh flower with botanical interest

Lonicera caerulea var. glabrescens; sparse to flower and when it does, the terminal and auxiliary cluster are small and relatively insignificant. This is a late winter flowering multi…

How big was our garden?

It has become second nature to look to Wikipedia for a summary of a subject. So when I was looking for a brief paragraph on the history of…

Looking for Lamium

Days are lengthening and the soil is warming. At this time of year be aware of the weed population shooting up and flowering. Catch the winter “keepers” now….

Berries for the start of Scotland’s year of food and drink.

On the peat walls is a specimen of Gaultheria semi-infera native to western China and the Eastern Himalaya; where it was found growing at 2900metres in the Arun…

Review of the year 2014

The forecast New Year’s Day storm did not materialise, allowing the Castle fireworks to herald in the start of 2014 with a great colourful spectacle. Storms blew in…

Hygrophorus hypothejus- the Herald Of Winter

The appearance of Hygrophorus hypothejus– commonly known as The Herald of Winter- traditionally signals the beginning of winter and the end of the mushroom season. Hygrophorus mushrooms- commonly…

Arran’s unique trees

The trees planted adjacent to the coffee shop at the East Gate Lodge include three species found only on Arran on the west coast of Scotland. The origin…

A future generation ready and waiting

The glossy red berries of the Eurasian Viburnum opulus are a treat for bird life at this time of year. This plant is also trying to send out…

Leratiomyces ceres- the Redlead Roundhead

Leratiomyces ceres is a common and easily recognised fungus which can be found throughout the Botanics from summer to late autumn. It grows mainly on woodchip mulches but…

A gentle scent of musty leaf mould

Camellia sasanqua, an evergreen bush itself is tucked away beneath an even greater evergreen behemoth. Yet even in this shady situation opposite the arid land house managing to…

Disintegrating pods reveal their innermost treasures

Just as the dampness of the short days creeps into our bodies so does the fabric of the plant world slowly decay. These images of seed pods illustrate…

Special trees in Bhutan 2014

The International Dendrology Society is an organisation for tree enthusiasts from around the world, most of whom grow trees in their gardens and arboreta, and many join the…

Leucoagaricus croceovelutinus- a new fungi record for the Botanics

Leucoagaricus croceovelutinus, also known as the Blushing Dapperling, is rare saprobic fungus found on decaying leaf litter, often with conifers . This particular collection was made under mature…

Life in the freezer

Forked spleenwort (Asplenium septentrionale) is one of Britains oddest looking ferns. The narrow forking fronds look similar to some seaweeds. The way that the fronds droop from rock…

The season to prune

Now that deciduous foliage has fallen, the canopies of trees and shrubs are opened up. An ideal time to prune. During the dry summer we had this year,…

Lucy’s Fight: Number 37 in the list – Plant a tree.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of having Lucy Lintott and her father come down from their home in Garmouth to plant a tree in the garden. Since being…