Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - alpine house and news

[Matt T]

Also on the rock garden, this blooming Aciphylla looked spectacular.
In the adjacent woodland garden, the Arisaema threaded through all the planting.
Dactylorhiza were also at their best, including D. elata (2).

[Matt T]

Fresh new growth on Rhododendron was conspicuous for it's indumentum, silver on R. rex and brown on another unlabelled plant.
Lilies (mainly Lilium martagon) also provided colour in various shades.

RBGE is worth a visit at any time of year.

[Maggi Young]

Members of the RHS joint Rock Garden Plant Committee were in Edinburgh at the Botanics yesterday  .... members are from RHS, SRGC and AGS -  the pictures were "tweeted"  by David Knott  of RBGE ( Curator of Living Collections at the the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh)







Today many members are at Holehird Gardens to see the Gentiana trials there.

[David Nicholson]

Looks as though there are a couple who are younger than I had expected them to be

[Maggi Young]

Looks as though there are a couple who are younger than I had expected them to be

Possibly students invited to attend, David!

[Maggi Young]

From an AGS Facebook  post -  pix of the group at Holhird  - where  the weather was not as dry as in Edinburgh!

"This RHS trial of Autumn gentians is in its first year of assessment at Holehird Garden. The RHS forum panel made one of its assessment visits yesterday and were joined by members of the Joint Rock Garden Plant Committee (RHS/AGS/SRGC). There are over 80 entries although some are duplicated from different sources. The best will get an Award of Garden Merit after three years of trial.
It was a wet morning! David Haselgrove"

http://holehirdgardens.org.uk

[Maggi Young]

 Holehird was looking better a little later for this pic by Joanne Everson....

[Maggi Young]

"It's Open Access Week which might be a good time to remind you about Sibbaldia,  the RBGE open access horticultural journal "

 ...... what a good idea!   
https://journals.rbge.org.uk/index.php/rbgesib

[Maggi Young]

At this time of year the RBGE  goes  "all out" on  special visitor attractions  to celebrate the season -  Sandy Leven has been to the gardens to enjoy the spectacular light shows  being put on there this year - this pdf will give you a feeling for the  event ....   http://files.srgc.net/Showreports/rbge-xmaslights.pdf   

I picked this photo from the show - no colour, just light....

[Maggi Young]

"The Alpine House is displaying the best of spring colour right now. Don't miss this annual spectacle and see the traditional way of growing and displaying alpine plants to best advantage."      http://go.shr.lc/2Cj39C9



 and a  date for the diary..... on  April 28th there will be  t an event with Carol Klein...


An Afternoon with Carol Klein
An Afternoon with Carol Klein

Sat 28 Apr 2018

Time:
    1.00 pm — 5.00 pm
Location:
    Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (find us)
Venue:
    Lecture Theatre, 20a Inverleith Row
Price:
    £19.50, £35.00 for both events if purchased at the same time
Booking:
    Box Office: http://bit.ly/BotanicEdin or Tel: 0333 666 3366 (£1.50 admin fee applies to phone bookings)

One of our most familiar gardening experts in the media today, Carol Klein is most famous for her role as regular presenter of BBC Gardeners' World, having featured on (almost) every programme since 2005.  Her natural, down-to-earth approach has made her a popular and trusted figure, and she makes a special journey to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for two events.

Event 1: Life in a Cottage Garden. 1.00pm – 2.15pm.  Join Carol for an audio-visual stroll through the seasons in her glorious cottage garden.

Event 2: In Conversation – A Gardener’s Life. 3.45pm – 5.00pm. A fascinating discussion with one of the nation’s most popular and trusted gardening experts, in conversation with BBC Radio Scotland’s Theresa Talbot. 

Both events include a Q&A session and book signing.  Click here  : http://bit.ly/BotanicEdin   to buy tickets.

 and an event worth seeing at Logan Botanic  Garden ....
Exhibition - A celebration of Michael Wickenden

Thurs 1 Mar — Mon 30 Apr 2018

Time:
    10.00 am — 12.00 noon
Location:
    Logan Botanic Garden (find us  - http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/logan/how-to-reach-us  )
Venue:
    Logan Botanic Garden
Booking:
    No booking required

A fabulous exhibition in tribute to the work of this famous planthunter and his development of Cally Gardens. It focuses on a selection of his expeditions includes a selection of his finest photographs of plants, people and landscapes.

[Maggi Young]

SRGC has  a great record of  assisting  students with grants to attend  the Royal Botanic Garden  Edinburgh
 ( amongst other  places of  study, of course!) so it is with pleasure that we learn of the  new  placement  at RBGE  Alpine  Dept. being offered  by the Alpine Garden Society.

Congratulations to RBGE  and the  AGS for this initiative. You can learn more - as well as how to apply, here :
 http://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/news/stories/alpine-garden-society-to-fund-trainee-placement-at-the-royal-botanic-garden-edinburgh

The SRGC  has also been pleased to offer free student membership of  the Club to those students of horticulture with an interest in alpine plants for some time.

It is  terrific that our organisations do as much as possible to  encourage  students into  "our" field.

It may be worth  reminding  people here of the  CI Hort.  links to sources of student grants - https://www.horticulture.org.uk/grants/ and , of course,  the SRGC Grants page : http://www.srgc.net/site/index.php/extensions/grants

[Maggi Young]

RBGE are looking for two new people to join their hort team - Garden Supervisor (Herbaceous) & Senior Horticulturist (Rock & Alpine).     https://bit.ly/1dsfwbD

[Maggi Young]

Pictures from Richard Ian Brown of RBGE  of the team working on  preparing the plants for the Alpine Dept. RBGE  display at  the SRGC plant show  in Fairmilehead Church Halls, Edinburgh, to moroow, 7th April.

[Maggi Young]

Displays by the Alpine Dept. of RBGE  at  Edinburgh SRGC show on  7th April and  at  Hexham AGS/SRGC Show on 14th April  were both awarded  Gold Medals - well done!

 Photo from  John Mitchell of Iris tigridia from western Altai flowering for the first time at Edinburgh Botanics

[Maggi Young]

From Leonie Paterson at RBGE :
" We're working with documentary film crews from China @ TheBotanics at the moment, telling the story of George Forrest, his plant collecting in China at the start of the 20th century and its effect on our science and living collection today."




As most readers will know, George Forrest  the planthunter  is so very important to Scottish RockGC -we value all explorers but George Forrest is our hero - we named our premier show award in his honour! George Forrest Memorial Medal for Best in Show !