Celebration of 90th Anniversary of SRGC - at RBGE 14th May 2023

[Maggi Young]

A Celebration of 90th Anniversary of SRGC - will be held at RBGE 14th May 2023 event being held at RBGEdinburgh.
 See all details here: https://www.srgc.net/add-event-20230514-RBGE.asp

Sunday 14 May 2023 (12.45am-5pm)
90th Birthday Anniversary Event
Caledonian Hall, RBGE, Edinburgh

This event will start with a welcome and short talk by our President Colin Crosbie. Then there will be visits to the Rock Garden, Woodland Garden and Alpine Yard where you can meet and talk with RBGE staff responsible for maintaining the alpine, rock and woodland plant collections. There will be opportunities to go behind the scenes at the alpine yard.  Then the event will culminate in a birthday cake cutting to celebrate our 90th anniversary.

Programme for the day:

Morning: Guests arrive
The morning is free to view the extent of the RBGE, and we suggest that you could picnic in nearby Inverleith Park, lunch at one of the many cafes in nearby Stockbridge, or else at one of the cafes at RBGE. (Note that picnicking is not allowed in the RBGE grounds themselves).

12.45-1pm: Formal Gathering at RBGE
Guests meet at the Caledonian Hall venue - overlooking the RBGE Rock Garden.

1pm-1.30pm: Welcome address and talk
Guests welcomed to the event followed by a short talk on the 90-year history of the SRGC by Colin.

1.30pm-3.30pm: Garden Visits
An opportunity to explore the RBGE alpine and rock garden plant collections: Visit the Rock Garden, Woodland Garden and Alpine Yard where you can meet with RBGE staff responsible for maintaining the alpine, rock and woodland plant collections, including behind the scenes at the alpine yard. Guides will be on hand to take groups across from the Caledonian Hall to the alpine yard navigating the closed sections of the garden due to the Edinburgh Biomes refurbishment.

3.30pm: Celebratory Cake Cutting
A formal 90th Anniversary celebration, with cake and refreshments at the Caledonian Hall.

3.30pm-5pm: Garden Visits
Further opportunity to explore the gardens on your own, and chat and socialise.

There will be a modest charge for attending the day, to defray costs of refreshments, and this will be payable in cash at the door.  It is expected to cost £12 approximately.

If you plan to attend, then please email our secretary Hannah on hwilson@rbge.org.uk before 30 April, so she can book refreshments. Please include "SRGC 90th Anniversary RBGE Event" in the subject line of your email.




Some SRGC past presidents at the party at RBGE for the  75th anniversary of the Club.   

[Stan da Prato]

Pity this coincides  wth the  Caley primula &  auricula show also  in Edinburgh at Saughton Park open to the public 12.15-3.45pm

[alant]

Yum. The cake tasted as good as it looked!
Very enjoyable day at the RBGE

[Maggi Young]

Some pictures from Ian Christie of this celebration of the SRGC at RBGE today, 14th May 2023.


That's "us"!!


President Colin's introduction.


David Knott, RBGE, Colin Crosbie SRGC , President. Lewis Norman  President of the Caley, Raoul Curtis-Machin RBGE, and David Morris AGS President.


Colin cuts the cake! ( you'll note there are several cakes!!)


The truly gorgeous confection that is ( was) the SRGC 90th Anniversary cake!

[Maggi Young]

In the garden - the Gathering .....


on a tour.....



John Mitchell RBGE and Convenor, SRGC Edinburgh Group, leading a garden tour.

Many thanks to Ian Christie for these photos.

[Maggi Young]

 From President Colin Crosbie  " We were delighted that Raoul Curtis-Machin Director of Horticulture RBGE, David Knott Curator RBGE, David Morris President of  the Alpine Garden Society and Lewis Normand President of the The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society - The Caley were able to join us."




Ian Christie, David Knott, Colin Crosbie, Lewis Normand, Raoul Curtis-Machin, David Morris

[alant]

The cutting of the cake

[Peter Maguire]

For anyone waiting for me to post my pictures from the event - apologies. I can’t get my new camera to talk to my phone, so it may be a couple of days before I can download them onto my computer and post them here. 🙄

[Peter Maguire]

Although it is almost two weeks since since event, I have finally managed to download the images form the day, so (belatedly) here is my contribution.

1. Colin Crosbie, SRGC President, giving his brief introductory talk.
2. John Mitchell showing guest around the Alpine House area at RBGE
3. Group photo

[Peter Maguire]

As with all good SRGC events there was cake!

1. The birthday cake. It was all highly edible, even the Dionysia taptodes and Silene acaulis - and the 'trough' they were 'planed' in.
2.  The cake was cut by the President with help from all of the ex-Presidents who were able to be there.
3. Form an orderly queue....
4. Leftovers were available to take away. 
5. .. and then it was back out to view the gardens

[Peter Maguire]

The RBGE gardens were looking especially attractive on the day, and it is good to see the popularity that they enjoy with visitors, many of whom were form overseas. I have including some images that I took that particulalrly caught my eye on the day.

1. There is a particularly fine display of Meconopsis 'Slieve Donard' in the woodland garden area and it was at the peak of its flowering period when we were there.
2. Another view of Meconopsis 'Slieve Donard'.
3. Also in the woodland garden a superb clump of Paris japonica was at its best.
4. On the way to the alpine area we had to pass through the Queen Mother's garden due to ongoing work on the large glasshouses. Although the centre of this garden is being redveloped, the surrounding mature plantings are still there, and Magnolia 'Elizabeth', a M. acuminata x M. denudata cross was looking good.

[Peter Maguire]

Just a few more plants. Firstly a couple from the rock garden, and a couple of Rhododendrons.

1. Veronica gentianoides nana on the rock garden. A moderately large group with delicately coloured flowering spikes.
2. A clump of Scilla ramburei amongst mossy boulders which seems to have self-seeded a short distance away from the main planting.
3. Rhododendron Hatsugiri. You might need sunglasses to view this one... 
4. Rhododendron 'Susan'. Not the smallest of rhododendron, but it looks spectacular every year and was looking especially good on the day we were ther.

[Maggi Young]

90th Anniversary Zoom talks
We have three more 90th Anniversary online Zoom talks lined up for the autumn.  Saturday 9 September, 21 October and 25 November. 
Talks will be by colin Crosbie, Dave Toole and Paul Spriggs. 

Full details are here on our website:https://www.srgc.net/add-90th-talks.asp