Tag: JunePage 2 of 4

Bud to bloom; Paeonia perfection

          The herbaceous Peonies; short lived in bloom but once established in the border are you callous enough to dig them out? This cultivar,…

Gloves in May

May, a month of long weekends and long warm evenings; only partially true this year. The low temperature throughout May has not been conducive to growth. The student…

What to do in your Fruit and Vegetable Garden in Scotland: JUNE

June is an exciting time in the Edible Garden. Some of the seeds sown earlier this year are finally starting to bear fruit. Peas and broad beans are…

White pillars in midsummer week

Mass planting of the white form of Digitalis purpurea are attracting much attention in the woodland garden. These selected seedlings are sown and grown for one year, transplanted…

Pearls of wisdom

This season the Enkianthus campanulatus have flowered prolifically. This, a result of a long warm spring preceded by a hot dry summer ripening the wood. The show does…

Subtle greens for summer

Take a moment to visually absorb the shades of green on the immature flower buds of Maianthemum racemosum. Growing on the edge of the woodland garden it is…

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…

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…

Venerable trees

I’m always glad of an excuse to take a nosey at some of the content of our Library and Archive collection at the Botanics. Our librarians have such…

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…

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 BioBlitz Banners are up!

The Edinburgh Garden’s BioBlitz is now less than a month away, and large banners advertising the event are now up at the East and West Gates. The BioBlitz…

A giant out of season daffy

Paramongaia weberbaueri is a tender bulb native to Peru. The genus is in the family Amaryllidaceae as are Daffodils. Growing to one metre plus; the long linear foliage…

Translucent yellow foliage

Large green Hosta’s are often regarded as the cabbages of the ornamental garden; this specimen is more elegant Hosta lancifolia ‘Aurea’ is a delicate coloured cultivar. The leaves…

Olympic double

The Olympic torch passes through Edinburgh this week. Our own Olympic double has been showing promise thriving in the south border for many a year. Forming a thicket…

June 2012: At midsummer, the scent of ripe pineapple

Scents evoke memories of days gone by. Competing with the heavy lingering fragrance of Philadelphus at this time of year is Cytisus battandieri, an outstanding shrub with loose…

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…

The longest day and a plant that appreciates good light levels

The pink daisy like flowers of Delosperma lavisiae appreciates good levels of natural light. Sunlight is essential to persuade the buds to open revealing the ring of narrow…

Time to take stock

Walking through the garden you will notice plants that did not survive the severe winter weather. It is now time to be ruthless with the dieback that spoils…

Bright and beautiful

An ideal descriptor for Dianthus callizonus growing tucked into the lee of a rock on a south face of the rock garden. Of low growing habit with terminal…