New challenge at Branklyn

[Maggi Young]

Jim Jermyn, former nurseryman, well-known speaker, author and  former Show Manager for  Scotland's Garden Show and much else besides, has announced he is taking a new direction!
Jim and his wife Alison are moving to Perth  - to a new position at Branklyn Gardens
Jim writes......

A massive challenge looms!, having hung up my boots at Gardening Scotland, Alison and I will be moving to Perthshire. I will take up my post as Property manager/Head gardener on 9th January 2017. I would like to thank outgoing Manager Steve McNamara and his team for leaving such a fine legacy at Branklyn with the garden in excellent shape. I will take my responsibility seriously and with great respect and will be thrilled to maintain the the high standard entrusted to me.
 A new era beckons as I look forward to working with Alistair Chalmers and a wonderful team of volunteers. Exciting times! Come and visit, here is a taster from June, Meconopsis galore!


Meconopsis punicea
 



Retiring gardener, Steve McNamara


We wish all concerned the very best for the future.


There are various other  threads in the forum with photos from the  charming garden that is Branklyn.... why not  look them up?
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=450.0
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1822.0
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3429.0
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4248.0

[Maggi Young]

Some more from Branklyn - first  from the Twitter feed of the SHG co-ordinator  (NTS School of Heritage Gardening)    - Four gardeners discussing Epigaea repens at Branklyn, part of the handover from Steve to Jim


 and  a reminder of news from the RCHS - the Caley - in 2014 - congrats to Jim Jermyn on being awarded the Scottish Horticultural Medal (SHM)  - following in the footsteps of  Branklyn's Mrs Dorothy Renton...

[astragalus]

Looks like a wonderful garden. Congratulations and such good luck.

[Maggi Young]

Branklyn held  a snowdrop day  on Saturday 25th February.  Jim Jermyn  sends a few photos  of the garden.....


This group may be familiar to SRGC folks - Sue Simpson,  Mary and Ian Pryde and George Watt


Narcissus cyclamineus


Eranthis 'Guinea Gold'


Emerging bud of Megacarpaea polyandra


Galanthus 'Diggory'

[Maggi Young]

Some Crocus tommasinianus , and  more snowdrops......





G. Waverley Aristocrat


G. 'Edwin'


G. 'Snow White'

[Maggi Young]

Branklyn Garden in Perth  will be creating a new bed near the entrance to the garden featuring Meconopsis with notable horticultural merit and raised locally in Scotland. These will include: MM. 'Branklyn', 'Dorothy Renton', Inverewe', 'Keillour' and 'Bobby Masterton'!  A special Meconopsis fortnight will be announced shortly with another seminar to highlight the genus and its role in the contemporary garden!

Thanks to Jim Jermyn for the photos

[johnralphcarpenter]

Wish I could grow them - too hot and dry here.

[Maggi Young]

More from Jim Jermyn at Branklyn:

What an explosion of activity in the garden. I can barely keep up with the emergence of flowers and foliage with Trilliums and Erythroniums taking centre stage.TT. ovatum, albidum and kurabayashii are superb, with a wee show from T. nivale in a trough! I am hopeful of Erythronium revolutum being at its best by April 9th. Branklyn Garden, whilst officially opening this Saturday 1st April will hold an Erythronium Day on April 9th with a seminar entitled "Erythroniums - Trout Lilies and Dog's Tooth Violets in the open garden". Seminar(given by JJ) open to 16 people and £10.00 per person with Soup and a Roll. For more outstanding information on this wonderful genus look to the SRGC Forum and Erythroniums in Cultivation by Ian Young, fully illustrated, a comprehensive account with the SRGC E-Book and free PDF. Great reading!


EE. revolutum  ( x 2) , americanum and 'Susannah'

[Maggi Young]

Dorothy Renton, gardener, was born on this day - 7 April- in 1898 (http://www.great-british.co.uk) The Rentons, famous for creating @NTS @BranklynGarden
 Happy memories of Dorothy, a great gardener famous in @ScottishRockGC
https://twitter.com/britishprints/status/850256060090679296

Some photos from Jim Jermyn at Branklyn today


Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill'


Rhododendron ' Bluebird'


Sanguinaria canadensis - double form


Trillium albidum

[Maggi Young]

More from Jim Jermyn at Branklyn the other day  :

A further welcome shower of rain has offered some respite after yesterday's heatwave. A few more Meconopsis have commenced flowering including the exciting seed-raised M. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia, M.x complexa (formerly M. staintonii hort)( x2)  and M.'Marit'!!

[Maggi Young]

From Jim:
As a team, here at Branklyn, we are beginning to form our Top 10 Meconopsis amongst some 50 hybrids and cultivars grown as part of the National Collection. A clear winner is M. 'Slieve Donard' raised in Edinburgh by Dr. Curle and exported to N. Ireland for its name!! The fine species, introduced by Kingdon Ward that took gardeners by storm in the 20s and 30s prior to the introduction of Ludlow and Sherriff's epic M. grandis was M. baileyi pictured here after the foregoing. Another interesting plant flowering on the open rock garden is Shortia soldanelloides var. alpina.

[Maggi Young]

More from Jim Jermyn at Branklyn....
"Branklyn almost at its best with Azaleas, Meconopsis and manicured lawns, thanks to meticulous volunteers! Nomocharis pardanthina and Cypripedium flavum are both free of flaw!! Meconopsis 'Mrs Jebb' is very fine."

[Maggi Young]

"I was surprised to find another Trillium in full flower as the rest have now passed, T. vaseyi flowers hiding under its foliage! Cypripedium tibeticum just about to finish flowering with the Meconopsis 'Dorothy Renton' avenue just beginning to hold sway and M. 'Crarae' in full flower! What a season here in Perth!!"

[Pennine Wanderer]

 A timely post. We were in the area today and paid a visit to Branklyn. An exceptional garden with magnificent plants. I am sure it will get even better under Jim and his team. The refreshments provided by Jim's wife were excellent as well.