Tag: AugustPage 4 of 4

Hybridising a hybrid

Escallonia ‘Iveyi’ A strong growing, glossy leaved, white blossomed evergreen shrub. A hybrid between E. x exoniensis and E. montevidensis. E. x exoniensis is itself a hybrid of…

The cat’s whiskers.

Definitively formed and with no regard for spatial awareness the stamens on Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii are a delight to observe. The red flower buds (calyx) are segmented…

Form and function

Itea ilicifolia an expansive evergreen shrub collected by Ernest Wilson in Hubei Province at the relatively low altitude of 300 – 900 metres. Initially not thought to be…

A bright spot in a dreich August

This August to date we have had 172.2mm of rain. The average August rainfall in Edinburgh over the past 18 years is 54.9mm. The wettest day was Tuesday…

Seed source

A member of the family Sapindaceae, native to C. and W. China laden with seed capsules, Dipteronia sinensis is a deciduous small tree found in Gansu and Sichuan…

Soft scoop in a cone

The difference in flower shape arrived at through selection and breeding is well illustrated by comparing Hydrangea paniculata and the cultivar Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’ where the panicles can…

Arable beauties

Wild flower meadows are very much in vogue nowadays, but not many feature the Shetland Cabbage! This variety of Brassica oleraceae is reputed to have been cultivated in…

Angelica gigas, a stately umbel

A biennial that flowers in its second growing season at a height in excess of two metres. The leaves are deeply divided, fresh green in colour. As flowering…

A budding delight

Growing as a tall perennial herb; Cephalaria procera was collected as seed from the Black Sea area of N.E.Anatolia in Turkey. Growing on the roadside margin beside the…

Highlights: 31.8.07

Native to the Southern Hemisphere the Eucryphia are a mass of white this year. In the border south of the herbarium E. glutinosa shows a delicate wave to…

28.8.07

Species Dahlias and cultivars growing to the south of the front range, T borders: Dahlia coccinea a Gardner and Knees collection from Mexico in 1993. Bright orange flowers…

Highlights: 21.8.07

Rhododendron auriculatum: A native to Central China, growing in F15, a focal position at the top of the stove brae. Large trusses of pure white flowers with a…

Highlights: 17.8.07

Agapanthus campanulatus ssp. patens: A Hilliard and Burtt collection from Temperate South Africa. The strong stems holding a mass of blue flowers. Look up and across the boundary…

Highlights: 13.8.07

Prunus armeniaca ‘Early Moorpark’ is bearing ripe Apricots in Edinburgh. A combination of climatic effects probably allowed these fruits to fully develop; the warm autumn of 2006 to…

Highlights: 8.8.07

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’ beauty indeed! Medium sized shrub with a stunning display of white flowers arranged in panicles. The blooms look fresh on the shrub for a long…