Benmore 2008

[TC]

Ignoring the weather forecast, we went to Benmore last Thursday.  When we got there, there was no wind and some sunshine breaking through.  So much for the Met. Office !  The flowering season is at least three weeks behind last year. The Macabeanums were still in tight bud.  Last year, the Hookeri was covered in bloom.  This year, only one flower with no signs of any more.  The Magnolias were spectacular.  Last year the flowers were poor but they have made up for it this year.  The Magnolia Sargentiana was covered in flowers.
The rh. Thomsonii's were coming out with one plant fully flowering.  At two hundred yards, it looked as if the wood was on fire it was such an intense red colour.  I have cut down on the pictures as there is no point in repeating what I took last year

[TC]

I have tried three times to send the pictures but I keep getting time-out messages.  I think I will now give up and do something more interesting.

[TC]

Try again today.

[TC]

Something seems to be happening to the postings.  Each time I have tried to upload 10 pictures of 1Mb. in total, I get a message telling me that my session has timed-out with no subject, no messaqe and no pictures uploaded.  I tried sending two pictures which seems to have taken so I will have to follow this laborious procedure if I want to get the rest uploaded.

[TC]

Four more

[ranunculus]

I have noticed this annoying trait in the past Tom.....so glad that you are persevering. Many thanks.

[TC]

After Benmore we went on to Glenbranter to see if we could see any of the 1920's plantings. On the way up to the waterfall we could see some red flowering Rhododendrons deep in the woods, seemingly randomly planted.  On the hillside up from the bridge at the waterfall  I saw one red flowering specimen.  Neatly stacked in piles on the hillside were logs, which on closer inspection, appeared to be of rhododendron.  When we were last there in October, I had the impression that there were many largish rhododendrons in a fairly densely planted wood.  It now appears that there has been a clearance.  I decided to climb up the slope to have a look at the one specimen I could see.  Cindy decided that she was not in the mood for climbing and went back down. I took my picture and then made to come down.  There is an old mountaineering adage which says, it is easier to go up than to get down.  I proved that to my satisfaction.  The ground was full of debris and the soil saturated, so the inevitable happened.  I slipped and then fell backwards and came down faster than I went up !  Amazingly, nothing was hurt except my dignity.  If you look closely at the Rh. picture, you will see a moss covered trunk from which the Rh. is growing.  This was a branch from the main plant.  I followed this back and came to a rotted trunk which was the original specimen.  So the plant I photographed must have been a leaf bud on a branch when the parent plant fell over.  In some fashion it must have developed roots over the years to become a self-contained plant.  The next time we go there, I will have to go into the forestry office and ask for information on what and where any remaining rhododendrons are.
There is a small article on Glenbranter in "the Botanics" .  The web reference is  www.rbge.org.uk/assets/files/Publications

[Maggi Young]

Glad to hear you are okay, Tom! seems like this is the week for Forumists falling  over.... as happened to both Alan and Sherba Grainger in Kentucky 
Really enjoying your photos, though I am sorry for your troubles with the "time out" messages. Forum has been very slow at times and we are looking into the matter. Thanks for sticking with it to make your posts 

[TC]

On the mountaineering theme, we came back the long road visiting Ardkinglas nursery, next to the Loch Long Oysterbar.  I mentally bought about 15 specimen Rhododendrons until Cindy pointed out that we have a small overfull suburban garden and not  an Argyll hillside - spoilsport !  I had to stop and take a picture of the Cobbler, from Arrochar.  In my youth, I used to climb the cliffs on this hill.
The last time was in 1963, when I went up it in ice and snow working on one lung.  I had a collapsed lung which my doctor had diagnosed as indigestion so I thought maybe some strenuous excercise would help. A walk of 8 miles plus the climb left me rather exhausted, back to the doctor where his locum told me I had a spontaneous pneumothorax and I should be resting. !!  I have never been up it since.   The walk up the Benmore hillside looking at pretty plants does me now. 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful pictures Tom ! 

They make me long for a holliday in Scotland soon - any idea what weather you'll have next "Summer" ?   

Good to hear you got back down safe and sound !

[TC]

Wonderful pictures Tom ! 

They make me long for a holliday in Scotland soon - any idea what weather you'll have next "Summer" ?   

Good to hear you got back down safe and sound !

Luc,
If I knew I could make a fortune at my local betting shop.  Historically, the driest weather should be in May and June with a further spell in September.  The west coast rhododendron gardens are at their best at this time, but this year they seem to be 3 weeks later than last year.  With global warming, who knows.  We intend to go to Brodick Gardens tomorrow but will decide finally when we look out the window at 0800 in the morning.

[Paul T]

Great pics Tom.  So very different to our autumn colour here at the moment!! 

[TC]

These should have been posted for the 7 May but the computer was away getting XP installed along with Vista.  All my pictures were wiped and it took me ages to back-up from discs.
Not a brilliant flowering year so I have just put some in for general interest - again nameless as these were lost from the originals.

We have been back since for the next flowering

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There should have been pictures with the last posting but the system refuses to upload them.  I have spent 30 minutes  trying to get the first 5 uploaded but nothing happens !!!

[TC]

Trying again at 2110