Category: HorticulturePage 43 of 59

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

A mass of Miscanthus

In the Biodiversity garden is a planting of Miscanthus, the silvery strands of the flowers are most attractive. As a mass, with the sunlight playing on the flowers…

A scent to savour

Satureja spicigera, often referred to as “Savory”, a sub shrub with highly aromatic foliage that appreciates the free draining nature of the limestone alpine wall in which it…

Waxing and waving

Saxifraga cortusifolia bears large waxy deciduous leaves and is one of the plants of this genus that thrives in damp soil within a shaded overhang. Native to N.E….

Deepening colours

The autumn colours exhibited by Vaccinium smallii growing in the east valley of the rock garden are fruit and out of season flower magnificent. These deciduous leaves have…

October 2011: Parthenocissus quinquifolia

Parthenocissus quinquifolia is showing full autumn colour in the generally five sectioned leaf. Growing enthusiastically over the wash house to the east of Inverleith House it clings in…

Dahlia delight

Continuing to power up and produce fresh buds these showy, radiant Dahlia cultivars are not looking forward to the first frost. Appreciate them now and if the mood…

Early colour for autumn

The most incredible canopy of autumn colour is provided by the 12m x 12m spread of Crataegus jozana. Get under the canopy and appreciate the twisted form of…

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Garden Highlights

A firebrand

A furry leaved favourite of the nursery supervisor. Holding its own in a warm corner of the back yard is Colquhounia aff. coccinea* Collected at altitude in Tibet…

The late Chestnut

Not having the stature of the ‘Conker Tree’, Aesculus hippocastanum, but with its multibranched habit and late flowering spikes Aesculus parviflora is of merit. Introduced in 1785 from…

September 2011: Nerine bowdenii

As the days shorten and the lawns are laden with dew the South African bulbous perennial Nerine bowdenii shows its flowers. As regular as clockwork the sudden burst…

A prickly customer

Eryngium amethystinum var. euspinosa was collected from grassland in the Tuscan hills in which mature plants were growing in abundance at c. 900m. The plants can be found…

Twilight zone

Aster macrophylla ‘Twilight’  is proving its worth this season. Monsoon like downpours have characterised August and many herbaceous plants have bowed to the weight of the rain. Not…

Patriotic Balloon

The twin colours of the Saltire, the national flag of Scotland, are the feature of this Platycodon grandiflorum cultivar. The species has blue petals; this reversion has a…

Shapely foliage

Planted to nestle down in the streamside within the Chinese plant collection this herbaceous Composite; Sinacalia davidii, has foliage shaped for effect. A native of China, the seed…

Evenly balanced

An avenue of Zonal Pelargoniums leading visitors into the Victorian Palm House. Single colour block planting; what better way to make a statement. This is Pelargonium ‘Pentland Deep…

Salt and pepper

The terminal flower head of Dipsacus chinensis is worth growing this straggly lank herbaceous perennial for, alone. The plant itself will not look a picture in the border…

The Japanese Water Iris

A late flowering display of Iris is always welcome in the garden and Iris ensata var. spontanea in the Biodiversity garden fulfils this task admirably. Collected in Japan…

A favourite of bees and chefs.

Thymus praecox ssp. polytrichus is one of the 250 or so species that make up this genus. This is a ground hugging woody perennial, rarely making 35mm in…

Black lace in a fritter

This year the black foliage cultivar of the “Elderberry”; Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ has blossomed; magnificently and with exuberance. It has the scent of the white flowered hedgerow…