Category: LearningPage 8 of 19

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

Let us know how it went! Feedback on Lichens Air Pollution Survey

Congratulations on completing your Lichens – Making the Invisible Visible Air Pollution Survey We hope you enjoyed the experience and that through exploring your local area in new…

In memory of Private Arthur Henry Jones (c.1882-1916)

In 1916, RBGE lost two members of staff in France during the First World War. The first was George Blackmore who was killed in the trenches of the…

#myurbanlichen

Just one of the amazing things about lichens is… You don’t have to go to a tropical rainforest, the Caledonian Forest or the far west coast of Scotland…

Lichens & Air Pollution

Outdoor Air pollution Air pollution is a huge global environmental health issue, as recognised by the World Health Organisation.  The air quality in Scotland is generally very good,…

Lichens – Making the Invisible Visible – An Air Pollution Survey

The idea formed quite early on in my TCV Natural Talent Traineeship based at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh  to develop a specific tool kit to help people…

In memory of Private George Blackmore (c.1870-1916)

In March 2016 we remembered the life of George Blackmore, a man who worked at RBGE as a labourer until the beginning of the First World War in 1914….

Figs in waiting

Ficus carica needs a warm corner to produce a reliable crop of Figs in autumn. As a native to the Middle East as much for winter protection of…

Gardener’s Kitchen – Leeks

Leeks (Allium porrum) are a fantastic winter crop. They add depth and flavour to any number of slow cooked winter dishes. They are also very hardy and the…

Another milestone for the Botanic Cottage

We recently reached another milestone with the rebuilding of the Botanic Cottage, when it was officially handed over from the contractors to us here at the Royal Botanic…

Street furniture

How a particularly grand piece of street furniture such as this one has not been captured on Google Maps I do not know… Almost invisible to the casual…

Happy Hypocenomyce & Dog lichens

A trip to the borders ensued for this surveying site – with Peebles being my destination. After a beautiful but rather bumpy breezy trip on the front seat…

Gardeners Kitchen: Parsnips

Parsnips are a great winter crop. Some people claim they taste better after a touch of frost. Parsnips are a ‘long season crop’. If you want to have…

Really Wild Veg – 2015 roundup

As 2015 draws to a close we end the third growing season for the Really Wild Veg project. The aim of the project is to explore how domestication…

Getting Ready for Schools in the Botanic Cottage

  As the opening of the Botanic Cottage is fast approaching props and resources are being made and tested for the new school programmes which will open for…

Gardener’s Kitchen – Pumpkins

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) can be grown in Scotland if you have a reasonably sheltered garden and the summer is not a complete washout! My favourite recipe, which is…

Battle of Loos, 25th September 1915

In memory of Lance Corporal William F. Bennett (1889-1915), Private Alan Menzies (1894-1915), Lance Corporal John Stewart (1891-1915) and Private George H. Stuart (1891-1915) In August 1914, RBGE…

Gardeners Kitchen – Runner Beans

Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) can become overwhelming at this time of year. In this cool, overcast summer it seems like we have been waiting all year for them…

Really Wild Veg – celery trials 2015

The wet summer may not have been much fun, but our celery has been loving it. One of the real challenges with growing celery on well-drained soils is…

A Gardener at War, by Freda Child

The memorial poppy and wild flower meadow on the glasshouse lawn at RBGE has inspired many visitors to contemplate the bravery and sacrifice of men and women involved…

Wartime Rhododendron

  In the Autumn of 1914, George Forrest was travelling in China. His letters written at the time mention the difficulties he was facing in getting permission to…