In January, Logan Botanic Garden in Dumfries and Galloway welcomed Richard Baines, formerly Head of Horticulture at Barony College near Dumfries, as its new Curator after the retirement of Barry Unwin.
"I am looking forward to hands-on work at this very special Garden, which I first visited as a teenager," says Richard. "Thanks to its mild climate, Logan grows a unique collection of plants, many from the southern hemisphere. I hope to continue the tradition of experimenting with unusual wild-collected plants and am keen to involve local schools in education programmes. I hope that this will raise awareness about plant conservation and the role that botanic gardens fulfil."
Barry Unwin retired at the end of January after 19 years as Curator and a total of 33 years' service at Logan. In his time, Barry oversaw many new developments at the Garden, including the transformation of the Woodland Garden and a substantial increase in the number of wild-origin plants being grown. He undertook field trips to New Zealand and Tasmania 1996 and 2005, and was awarded an MBE in 2002.