Tag: Weekly HighlightsPage 26 of 32

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…

Sea-washed bark

Late July sees Clethra delaveyi clothed in long racemes of scented flowers. These are held gracefully at the ends of the shoots. The fused, cupped white petals shelter…

Castanea sativa, the Sweet Chestnut

Castanea sativa is a dominant tree with deeply fissured and twisting bark. The mature specimen at the rock garden divides into three giant limbs at a height of…

A scent of summer

Lavender is one of those plants, easily propagated, that is found in many British gardens though native to the Mediterranean. It has one drawback: as it ages the…

Cool and crisp as a freshly laundered white shirt

Setting a striking pose in the sunken courtyard of the Front Range Glasshouses is a mature clump of Zantedeschia aethiopica. Native to temperate South Africa, this lush foliaged…

Frontier spirit

Growing high in the Kaghan Valley of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan is the prickly-leaved Morina longifolia. The flower spikes are populated with creamy white buds….

Striking foliage

The greatest asset of Actinidia kolomikta, a member of the kiwi fruit genus, is its leaves. The leaf colouration on young plants is not so pronounced as on…

Stinking woody Solanaceae

Cestrum parqui, a woody member of the family Solanaceae, is making healthy growth in the Garden. It is native to South America, from Brazil to Argentina. This specimen…

Feathered edges

The Rock Garden provides many groups of interesting plants to appreciate. In full bloom just now is Dianthus spiculifolius, a tight mound of cushion forming pointed leaves with…

Eyelashes to die for

Look into the carmine pink petals of Geranium psilostemon: the black lines spaced evenly and radiating out from the base to the tip of the petal resemble a…

A giant lily with stature and scent

Cardiocrinum giganteum is one of the prizes of the Himalayan flora. Collections in the Garden have come from the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in south-west China. In…

Native Yellow Flag Iris

Planted in groups through the garden and a common sight in less well drained locations around the country is one of our native Iris, Iris pseudacorus. Collections have…

An unaccessed hidden gem

A botanic garden holds a unique collection of plants. These are given individual accession numbers of eight digits: the first four refer to the year of introduction the…

The lantern tree: lighting the way towards midsummer

A young plant in the south area of the Rock Garden is the Chilean lantern tree, Crinodendron hookerianum, so called by the shape and orientation of the flowers….