Tag: Weekly HighlightsPage 20 of 32

Two early Juno’s

Juno Iris are a sub group within the genus Iris. The Juno’s form the largest group of those Iris with a fleshy bulbous base. Demanding free draining compost…

A spring bouquet

Quite refreshing to appreciate a week of settled weather since the turn of the month. This bright sun has brought glasshouse temperatures into double figures and pushed on…

Frosted foliage

When will this winter end? At least March has started settled and suddenly the mornings are much lighter. One of the better things to come from these extended…

Sheep fodder

They must breed hungry sheep in New Zealand; the ability to graze over the hard spears of Aciphylla subflabellata requires determination. The plant was observed growing in grazed…

Not a thing of beauty

One of New Zealand’s most common evergreen small trees; Pseudopanax arboreus, favours forest and open scrub areas from sea level to c.750m. The leaf is composed of usually…

A cathedral of catkins

Corylus colurna; a forest tree of grand proportions. With a trunk of deeply fissured bark reaching up to a magnificent cathedral of branches this tree is now laden…

Cold damage

Continual snow cover since 18th December until 15th January; cold desiccating winds and low temperatures. The 100mm soil minimum reached -13.7oc on 24th December. The air temperature recorded…

Seed dispersal

The recent snow provided evidence of wind direction and seed dispersal. The attached images show the profuse quantity of light brown seed held in the catkins of Betula…

The pipes; the pipes.

From – 2.5ºC rising to + 4ºC; this dramatic rise in temperature over 2 hours on the morning of 9th January allowed frozen pipes to suddenly thaw. Result:…

Heavy heads succumb to the ravages of winter weather

The combination of dense wet snow and a gusting wind from the ENE caused the fragile trunk of Yucca elata growing at the corner of the fern house…

Contain that compost and nourish the soil

Much of the work to be done in the garden at this time of year produces quantities of pruning’s and other green resource material. Note the use of…

Review of the year

A year of snowfall; snow fell of a quality not seen in Edinburgh for several years. On the 9th February; we even resorted to attaching the snow plough…

The ideal berry for a seasonal tipple

A fine specimen of pendulous form. This is one way of describing the mature specimen of Juniperus recurva var. coxii growing in the copse.A native of Myanmar, China…

Black leaves for dark days

The planting of Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ near Inverleith House is a significant splash of black. Look closely and the few strands of reversion to green foliage show up….

The brightest berry of the season?

Sorbus commixta has the brightest berries of the genus; bright red in colour with a lustrous sheen. It does increase their appeal when the sun shines on them…

Red hot chilli pepper

The seed pods on the Berberis chitria at the Palm House are colouring and developing to give an added attraction to this large ungainly semi evergreen shrub. Plants…

A scandent scrambler with rocket like leaves

Provide this sub shrubby woody composite with a supporting crutch and it will thrive. A native to south and East Asia; Senecio scandens is looking colourful at this…

Ginkgo gold

The group of three Ginkgo biloba are exhibiting a good show of golden colour this late into the autumn. Slow to change from green to a golden yellow…

Shrimps and feather dusters

Danthonia cumminsii collected on the Guang Ho Ba meadow in the vicinity of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yunnan Province, China. A tussock forming perennial producing fine leaves…

Late season canopy colour

Catch this canopy with the low sun and you will understand why Reginald Farrer grabbed a handful of berries and returned with the seed from Gansu Province, China…