Category: HorticulturePage 35 of 60

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

Ecological meadow

This is one of the richest areas of the Garden for wildlife. In the whole Garden, more than 460 animal species (mostly invertebrates such as insects and spiders)…

Plants & pollinators

According to Horticulture Week, one-third of world food production and 87.5% of all flowering plant species on Earth depend on pollinators. Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “If…

Wilderness areas

Why not create a wilderness area in your own garden? For information see these two publications by PLANTLIFE: Grow Wild – Native flowers  in your garden and Create…

Washing the garden

Sun wilt causes consternation when, on a warm day, leafy herbaceous stems flop. During the evening as the temperature drops the turgidity of the stems returns. The attached…

The first square flower!

Tomato breeders eat your heart out; a naturally occurring square flower. Philadelphus schrenkii a native to Eastern and Northern Asia is flowering profusely in the Biodiversity Garden. Vigorous…

July 2013: Victoria amazonica

Giant Water Lily Victoria amazonica Family: Nymphaeaceae Description: The upper surface has a rather quilted appearance. The purplish-red under surface has a network of ribs, clad in abundant…

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…

BBC Landward in the Garden

[polldaddy poll=6923122] Over the last couple of weeks we have had the privilege of BBC2 Landward filming in The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. With the programme running over…

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…

Scottish natives in full flower

The recent warm weather has pushed on all our recently pricked out seedlings, so we have been able to get more plants out into the developing bed of…

Species showcase

We have a small planting of Hyoscamus niger (Henbane) that has just started flowering in the Target 8 bed. As a biennial it takes two years to flower,…

Magnolia sieboldii ssp. sinensis

This beautiful Magnolia sieboldii ssp. sinensis is currently flowering in the copse area of RBGE. Click photos to enlarge.

Community Garden celebrating former principal gardener at RBGE…and others

RBGE are contributing plant material to a community project celebrating the lives of five 19th century botanists from Angus, including a former principal gardener of the garden here…

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…

Dry habitat ferns growing in Scotland

Working with staff at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (University of Texas at Austin), our indoor horticulturists Gunnar Ostvebo and Andrew Ensoll spent three weeks collecting the…

Sulphur Polypore

This stunning Laetiporus sulphureus fungus- commonly known as sulphur polypore or chicken of the woods- has recently appeared on a Nothofagus betuloides in the garden. The fungus causes…

Bracing a Zelkova sinica

Last week the Arboretum team installed Boa bracing in this Zelkova sinica. The fork at the base of the tree had become unstable in recent high winds so…

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…

The People Behind the Plants

Some might argue that the greatest asset of the four gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are our plants, but as the over-used saying goes: ‘An organisation…

Age class representation

Continuing the centuries old tradition of plant collecting, staff from RBGE travelled to Japan in 2005 and collected seed. Returning to the Garden this was sown, nurtured and…