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Latin Name: Encephalartos natalensis R.A.Dyer & I. Verd. Common Name: Natal giant cycad Distribution: Endemic to South Africa (Eastern Cape & KwaZulu-Natal) Habitat: On cliffs in open forests…
Caltha palustris, a lush growing plant with a wide distribution covering the temperate northern hemisphere. It has the most unfortunate common name; “May blob”, referring to the golden…
Cypripediums have a reputation for being very difficult to grow and even more difficult to acquire. Plants in the wild have become rare due to changes in land…
The demonstration garden at the Botanics is a veritable frenzy of activity at this time of year. It is not just the Edible Gardening Project team at work…
Another unwelcome visitor appeared on my plot – slugs. This time the victim turned out to be Nemophila maculata ‘Five spot’ seedlings. Slugs munched on the cotyledons and…
This is a Clematis like no other; a leafless tangle of green reed like stems. The scandent growth mounds over itself reaching 1.5metres in height. A native to…
Pricking out can be either a relaxing or stressful activity. In my case it turned to be the latter one. I simply got overwhelmed by the task: three…
Willow fence – a recent addition on my plot. Constructed with a thought of keeping children at bay and as a support structure for fleece and letter netting….
Our visitors always ask what we do with the vegetables from the edible garden. We are proud to tell them that the produce goes to our very own…
Aipyanthus pulchra was growing in association with Daphne, Pulsatilla, Scabiosa in grassland when collected on Mt Kazbegi in Georgia at 2298 metres. Found throughout the Caucasus and western…
In the last four weeks many different plant support structures appeared on student plots. Each one of them demonstrates my classmates’ creative approach to practical tasks. Below I…
4 weeks ago I hold a big sowing session on my plot and covered with seeds almost the entire area of it. I sowed sweet peas Lathyrus odoratus…
We’ve been out of the garden and in the kitchen more than usual this week. The Science on a Plate events held during the Edinburgh International Science Festival…
Leaving Scotland’s driest and sunniest month of March since 1929 for the east winds that turned the balmy high teen temperatures we had been used to for 10…
The two strips of planting leading into the Temperate Palm House represent spring bedding at its best. These two cultivars; Polyanthus ‘Crescendo Yellow’ and Tulip ‘Purple Prince’ make…
Gosh! What a week. I was going to try and avoid going on about the weather; there’s been enough of that on the news. Plus I always start…
Rhododendron adenosum grows in open woodland where the plants will receive protection from frost. Pink buds open white with internal mottling and prominent flower parts. Rhododendron vernicosum, is…
We have been busy little bees in the garden this week and are sowing seed like mad. (Inbetween sunbathing and eating ice creams obviously, it’s all just so…
We are now observing good growth on the emerging herbaceous plants. Taking a closer look at the emerging foliage on some reveals colonies of bugs and beasties. This…
Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth. Practically every kind of ecosystem can be found within its borders. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Colombian research…